


Tf^XH^i 



^^^^M 



A HISTORY 



OP 



THE CIVIL WAR 



TN 



THE UNITED STATES; 



WITH 



A PSELIMmiRY YEW OF ITS CAUSES, 



AND 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ITS HEROES. 



BY 



SAMUEL M. SCHMUCKER, LL.D. 

ArrnoR of "lives of the four Georges, kings of England," "history op 

MAPOLEON III.," "ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS AND DISCOVERIES*' " LIFE OF ALESAXDBB 
HAIIILTOX," "history OF NICHOLAS I. AND THE CRIMEAN WAR," ETC. 



PART FIRST. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

J. W. BRADLEY, 66 N. FOURTH STREET. 

1863. 



\\ 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862, by 

SAMUEL MOSHEIM SCHMUCKER, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for 
the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



^y -^ 6TERE0TYPKD BT S. A. GEORGE, 

607 SANSOM STREET, PHILADELPHIA. 
PRINTED BY KIMQ & BAIRD. 



PREFACE 



No event has occurred on the American Conti- 
nent since the glorious Revolution of 1776, equal 
in magnitude and interest to the contest which has 
taken place between opposite and hostile portions 
of the Federal Union ; and which all true patriots 
stigmatize by the unequivocal and significant epi- 
thet of the Southern E,ebellion. So important was 
this struggle that it not only enlisted the most 
vigorous energies of the national government, and 
summoned its armies into the field, but it became 
the paramount topic in every mind. All classes of 
professions regarded it with intense interest, and 
watched the progress of events' with profound 
anxiety. For this purpose scholars suspended their 
studies in recondite and learned subjects of inquiry ; 
synods and general assemblies discussed the issues 
involved with solemn earnestness ; the ordinary 
Y)ursuits of the community seemed in a great 
measure to be modified and controlled by the novel 
and startling aspect of the times. This universally 
prevalent feeling was amply justified by the im- 
mense interests and the vital principles which were 

3 



4 PEEFACE. 

to be disposed" of by the conflict. Nor is it singu- 
lar, that the war should ultimately engage the 
attention of mankind in all civilized countries, and 
that it should be regarded as the event of chief 
importance then transpiring on the globe. 

There can be little doubt that a reliable history 
of the incidents connected "with this memorable 
drama, and even more than one such history, would 
be acceptable to the public. In the following work, 
therefore, the writer has undertaken to describe its 
thrilling and marvellous scenes. He has set forth 
at some length the most potent of the causes which 
gave it birth. He has introduced, from time to 
time, biographical sketches of those soldiers and 
statesmen, who distinguished themselves by their 
heroism or by their patriotism during its progress. 
He has followed the march of the Federal armies, 
as they achieved one victory or suffered one tempo- 
rary reverse after another ; and the narrative will 
be continued, Deo volente, until the record is com- 
plete, and he has described how the Republic was 
conducted by firm and skillful hands through all 
the storms which have assailed it, to the attainment 
of a permanent and honorable peace. 

The general rule according to which the foUoMdng 
work has been written, was to describe events with 
more or less minuteness of detail, according to the 
proportion of their historical importance. Many 
incidents necessarily happen in such a struggle, 
spreading as it does over so vast an area, which 
may possess an intense though momentary interest. 



PREFACE. O 

and greatly excite the public mind at the period of 
their occurrence, which are nevertheless insignifi- 
cant in their essential nature, and trivial in their 
ultimate consequences. As it was the design of the 
present writer to prepare a history of the war within 
a convenient and moderate compass, it became 
necessary to omit all, or at least any extended allusion 
to such events, so that the necessary space might 
remain in which to dwell with appropriate fullness 
upon the really decisive incidents of the contest. 
For the same reason no reference is made, in the 
biographical sketches which are introduced, to those 
ephemeral and factitious reputations .which were 
created from time to time ; which, going up sud- 
denly and glaring portentously like rockets, de- 
scended again as quickly, and relapsed into their 
legitimate oblivion. An eifort has thus been made 
throughout the work, to do justice to those events 
and persons to whom a genuine and permanent 
immortality appertains ; at the same time to realize 
and exemplify the excellent maxim, Parva sed ap- 
ta^ not voluminous, but condensed and comprehen- 
sive. 

The author has been assiduous and careful in 
regard to the materials from which the contents of 
the work have been derived. He has applied to 
his use every attainable source of information which 
was worthy of confidence and attention. Official 
reports of eminent commanders, and the narratives 
of intelligent and truthful eye-witnesses of the scenes 
described, together with various other depositories 



6 PEEFACE. 

of facts, have been thoroughly exammed, compared 
and appropriated. The author has not the pre- 
sumption to imagine that he has in all cases attained 
perfect accuracy ; but he does not hesitate to assert, 
that he has left no effort or expedient unemployed 
to avoid error and misstatement in every part of 
the work. An historical narrative of events of 
recent date labors under some disadvantages, while, 
at the same time, it may possess facilities and merits 
of which the record of more remote and unfamiliar 
transactions will be destitute. It has been affirmed 
that a correct history of a war like that against 
Secession could not be written till after the lapse of 
many years. We believe this statement to be 
erroneous. If the writer be impartial, laborious, 
and possessed of the necessary literary skill, he will 
have all the qualities essential to the elaboration of 
a satisfactory history of such a series of events ; and 
these qualities he may possess immediately after 
their occurrence, as well as at a more distant period. 
At the same time he will enjoy a superior ad- 
vantage in the vividness and strength of the impres- 
sion which the events have made, both upon his 
o^vn mind, and upon the minds of those whose 
productions he consults in the preparation of his 
work, 

S. M. S 

Philadelphia, Dec, 1862. 



CONTENTS. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Origin of the Southern Rebellion — Classification of its several 
Causes — The Act of 1816 respecting a Tariff — Agency of 
Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams — Position of John 0. 
Calhoun — 'He first conceives his project of Nullification — 
His Memorial to Governor Ham 'Hon — The operation of a 
high Tariff" — The Legislature of South Carolina — Outbreak 
of the Nullification Movement — Vigorous measures of Presi- 
dent Jackson — Mr. Calhoun in the United States Senate — A 
memorable Debate — Final settlement of the difficulty — 
American Slavery — Its origin — The proposition of Thomas 
Jefferson — Slavery in the Territories — The compact of 1787 — 
Compromise of Henry Clay — Annexation of Texas — The 
Wilraot Proviso — Compromise of 1850— Slavery in Kansas — 
Rise of the Republican Party — Its Principles and Policy — 
Administration of James Buchanan — Treason in the Federal 
Cabinet — Preliminary operations of the Conspirators — Policy 
of Mr. Buchanan respecting Secession— Presidential Cam- 
paign of 1860— Election of Mr. Ijincoln — The Doctrine of 
State Sovei'eiguty as opposed to Federal Centralization 15 

CHAPTER I. 

Effect of Mr. Lincoln's Election in the South — Political Move- 
ments in South Carolina and Georgia — Excitement in Charles- 
ton — Preliminary Acts and Events — Resignation of Federal 
Officers — Election of Members to the State Convention — 
Opponents of Secession — Federal Property seized in Charles- 
ton — Conventions summoned in Georgia and Alabama — As- 
sembling of the Convention of South Carolina — The First Act 
of Secession from the Union passed — A pathetic statement 
of Grievances — Reflections on the Result — Popular Feelings 
in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida 55 

CHAPTER II. 

Treasonable Proclamation of Governor Pickens — Resignation 
of the Representatives of South Carolina in Congress — The 
Crittenden Propositions of Compromise — Their Provisions — 
Scramble for Federal Property— Commissioners of South 
Carolina to the Federal Government — Major Anderson — The 
removal of his Command to Fort Sumter — Mr, Secretary 
Floyd — His Resignation — The Convention of the Slav©' 
holding States — Important Events at Savannah — Secession of 
Mississippi — Pernicious influence of Jefferson Davis — Rcsig- 

7 



8 CONTENTS. 

nation of liis Seat in the United States Senate — The Secession 

of Alabama — Of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.... 69 

CHAPTER III. 

Various efforts made for Compromise and Settlement — Concilia- 
tory meetings held in the Northern States — Their Ultimate 
Failure — Apostacy of Alexander H. Stephens — Resignation 
of the Southern Representatives in the Federal Congress — 
The Rebel Congress Convened at Montgomery — Its Organi- 
zation — Adoption of a Provisional Constitution — The Organi- 
zation of the Southern Confederacy — Jefferson Davis elected 
President — Biographical Sketches of Jefferson Davis, of 
Stephens, of the Cabinet Ministers of the Southern Con- 
federacy, Memminger, Toombs, Mallory, Walker, Benjamin.. 83 

CHAPTER IV. 

Assembling of the Peace Congress at Washington — Proposals 
of Compromise — Attitude of President Buchanan — Public 
Sentiment respecting Fort Sumter — Mission of-the " Star of 

-the West" — Establishment of the Confederate Government 
at Montgomery — Inauguration of Jefferson Davis as Presi- 
dent — Inauguration of President Lincoln — His Address — The 
famous Oration of A. H. Stephens at Savannah — Its historical 
importance — His First Position — He refutes Jefferson, Hamil- 
ton, and Madison — His Second Position — The foundation 
stone of the Southern Confederacy 97 

CH.APTER V, 

The Mission of Mr. Yancey and his Associates to Europe — 
Their Representations to the French and English People — 
The Rebel Commissioners at Washington — Their absurd 
deportment — General Beauregard demands the Surrender of 
Fort Sumter — Preparations for the Bombardment of the 
Fort — Size and Strength of the Works — Sketch of Major 
Anderson — Sketch of General Beauregard — Commencement 
of the Bombardment — Incidents of the first Day's attack — 
Events of the ensuing Night — 'J'he continuance of the Bom- 
bardment during the next Day — Sufferings of the Garrison — 
Deputation from General Beauregard — Propositions of Sur- 
render — They are accepted by Major Anderson — Why the 
Garrison was not reinforced — Proclamation of Governor 
Letcher — Proclamation of President Lincoln lOB 

CHAPTER VI. 

Enthusiasm of the Rebel States — Projected Concpiest of Wash- 
ington — Proofs that it was contemplated — Seventy-five thou- 
sand troops ordered out — Davis • issues Letters of Marque 
and Reprisal — Secession of Virginia — Blockade of the South- 
ern Ports — Aspect of the Loyal States — The Attack of 
Federal Troops in Baltimore— Fury of the Rebel Mob — 
Results of the Attack — The Federal Forts are Garrisoned — 
Secession of Missouri — The Chicago Zouaves — The Gallant 



CONTENTS. y 

Ellsworth — Origin of the term Zonave — History of the French 
Zouaves in the Algeria, in the Crimea, in Italy — Their Pecu- 
liar Characteristics 124 

CHAPTER YIT. 

Secession of Tennessee — Parson Brownlow — Declaration of 
War by the Confederate Congress — Skirmish near St. Louis 
— Secession element in Baltimore — Fort McHeiiry — Seces- 
sion of North Carolina — Adjournment of tlie Rebel Congress 
to convene at Richmond — Assembly of Federal Troops at 
Washington — The Occupation of Alexandria — Assassination 
of Colonel Ellsworth — Sketch of his Career — Famous Tour 
of the Chicago Zouaves— ^Ellsworth's Military tastes and 
talents — His personal appearance and characteristics — His 
peculiarities as a speaker — He organizes the New York Fire 
Zouaves — General Robert Patterson's Campaign in Yirginia 
— Crossing the Potomac at Williamsport — Battle of Falling 
Waters — Pursuit of the Enemy — The March to Bunker Hill 
— To Charlestown — Occupation of Harper's Ferry 137 

CHAPTER YIII. 

The encounters with the Rebel Troops at Fairfax Court House, 
at Acquia Creek, at Romney, at Philippi — Gallantry of Colonel 
Kelley — Battle of Great Bethel— Causes of the disaster — 
Death of Lieutenant Greble — Sketch of his Career — Union 
sentiment in Western Yirginia — The New State of Kanawha 
— Harper's Ferry devastated by the Rebels — The Ohio troops 
fired on near Yienna — Operations of General McClellan in 
Western Yirginia — His admirable plans — The Battle of Rich 
Mountain — Colonel Rosecranz — Results of the engagement — 
Sketch of General McClellan — His Reconnoissance of the 
Cascade Mountains— His secret mission to the West Indies — 
His journey to the Crimea — His official report as Commis- 
sioner — His subsequent movements — He becomes Commander 
of the Department of Ohio 152 

CHAPTER IX. • 

Extraordinary Session of Congress in July. 1861 — Message of 
President Lincoln — Sketch of 'i'haddeus Stevens— His Politi- 
cal Career — His action as Chairman of the Committee of Ways 
and Means — Important Bills passed by Congress — Messrs. 
Yallaudigham and Burnett — The civil war in Missouri — The 
Grand Army equipped at Washington — Order given to General 
McDowell to advance toward Manassas— Arrangement of t|ie 
Army — The advance reach Bull Run — The preliminary con- 
flict at that place — Position of the Rebel Army at Manassas — 
General Beauregard— 'i'lie impending contest 165 

CHAPTER X. 

The Federal Army at Centreville— General McDowell's plan of 
attack — The divisions of Generals Tyler, Hunter and Heint- 
zelman— Their several duties— The march from Centreville — 



10 CONTENTS. 

Interesting' spectacle — General Tyler first reaches the Battle- 
field — He comraeaces the Engagement — Movements of Gene- 
rals Hunter and Heintzelman — The engagement becomes 
general — The Rebels gradually overpowered — The Federals 
victorious at mid-day — Rebel admissions to that efiect — 
General Johnston's troops from Winchester arrive — They 
reverse the tide of victory — Sudden panic in the Federal 
Army — A general Retreat ensues — Incidents of the Flight — 
Results of the Battle — Failure of the Rebel Commanders to 
improve their Victory — Ultimate consequences 177 

CHAPTER XI. 

The impression produced on the public by the battle of Manas- 
sas — Various causes of the Federal Defeat — The preceding 
March — Inferiority of numbers — Effect of Masked Batteries — 
Incompetent officers — Remote position of the Reserves — 
Pernicious presence of Spectators — The Coup-de-grace — 
Arrival of General Johnston's troops on the field — Was the 
Defeat in reality a misfortune to the Union — Its immediate 
effects — Its influence on the Army— Its influence on the 
Administration — It was the cause of subsequent success to 
the Federal Forces 192 

CHAPTER XII. 

Increased energy of the Federal Government — Events in Mis- 
.souri — Important battle at Carthage — Retrograde Movement 
of General Lyon to Springfield — Pursuit of the Rebels under 
Generals McCulloch and Price — Condition of their army — The 
great Battle of Springfield — Temporary success of the Rebels 
— Incidents of the Contest — Heroism of General Lyon — His 
last effort against the enemy — Its success — General Lyon's 
death — Results of the Battle — Sketch of General Lyon — ■ 
General Fremont made Commandant of the Department of 
Missouri — His Anti-slavery Proclamation — It is modified by 

President Lincoln 203 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Expedition against the Rebel Forts — The forces appropriated 
to this enterprise — Sailing of the Expedition — The Bombard- 
ment — The surrender of the Forts — Commodore Barron — 
Commodore Stringham — Results of the victory at Hatteras — 
Operations oj" Rosecranz — Battle at Carnifex Ferry — Defeat 
and flight of Floyd — Results of the Victory — Events in Mis- 
souri — Colonel Mulligan's forces at Lexington — Incidents of 
the Battle of Lexington — Surrender of Colonel Mulligan — 
Sketch of his Career — Battle at Bolivar — The Battle of Balls 
Blufi" — Incidents of the Engagement — Defeat and rout of the 
Federal troops — Death of Colonel Baker — National sorrow 
at his Fate — Sketch of his remarkable Career 217 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Peculiarities of the War against Secession — Federal Expedition 



CONTENTS. 11 

nnclej Coraraodore Pupont and General Sherman — Its de- 
parture from Annapolis — Its destination — Terrible storm near 
Cape Hatteras — The Expedition reaches Port Koyal — Rebel 
forts on Bay Point and Hilton Head — Incidents of the attack 
— Surrender of the Forts — Results of the Engagement — Naval 
disaster below New Orleans — Events in Missouri — Bold 
achievement of Colonel Zagonyi near Springfield — The Battle 
of Belmont — Its results — Dismissal of General Fremont from 
his Department of the West — Causes of his removal — His 
admirable demeanor on this occasion — His subsequent ap- 
pointment as commander of the Mountain Department 234 

CHAPTER XY. 

European recognition of the Southern Confederacy — Mission of 
Messrs. Mason and Slidell — Their arrest — Legality of that 
Arrest — The British Government demand them — Reasons of 
their surrender — Diplomatic note of Mr. Seward on the 
subject — the Battle of Draiusville — Incidents of the engage- 
ment — General McCall — Sketch of his Career — Dismissal of 
Mr. Cameron from the Federal Cabinet — The War in Ken- 
tucky — The Battle of Mill-Springs — Incidents of the Conflict 
— Death of General Felix ZoUicoffer— His character — Results 
of the Battle of Mill-Springs 247 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Burnside Expedition — Its departure from Annapolis — 
Another gale otf Cape Hatteras — Loss of the steamer City 
of New York — The Expedition enters Pamlico Sound — It 
steers for Roanoke Island — Rebel Works erected on that 
Island — The Federal troops disembark — Incidents of the 
engagement — Defeat and flight of the Rebels — Capture of 
their Forts — Results of the victory — Death of Colonel De 
Montueil — Sketch of General Burnside— Attack on Fort 
Henry— Strength of the Fort— Incidents of the Bombardment 
— Surrender of the Rebel Works — Loss on both sides — Skill 
and heroism of Commodore Foote — Sketch of his Career 2G1 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Position and strength of Fort Donelson — General Grant and 
Commodore Foote prepare to attack it — Repulse of the Gun- 
boats — The assault from the land side — Proposition of Gene- 
ral Buckner to surrender — The capitulation of the Fort — 
Results and trophies of the Conquest— Sketch of Ulysses S. 
Grant — Sketch of General Charles Ferguson Smith — Attack 
on the Rebels at Bloomery Gap — Sketch of General Lander — 
Re-election of Jefferson Davis as President of the Southern 
Confederacy — Occupation of Columbus, Kentucky, by Federal 
troops — Desertion of Nashville by the Rebel Forces — The 
Rebel Battering Ram Merrimac — Incidents of the engagement 
— Arrival of the ^Monitor in Hampton Roads — Battle between 
The Monitor and the ]\Lerrimac 276 



12 



CONTENTS. 



CIIArTER XYIII. 
Battle of Pea Rid^re — General Curtis — Attack of the Rebels on 
the rear of the Federal Array — Gallantry of General Sigel — 
Conthiuauce of the Battle ou the second day — Incidents of 
the contest — It is renewed upon the third day — Rout of the 
Rebels — Sketches of Generals Curtis and Sigel — President 
Lincoln's orders to the Federal Armies — General McClellan's 
Address to the Army of the Potomac — Sudden evacuation of 
Manassas by the Rebels — Bombardment of Island Number 
Ten — Operations of General Pope — Artificial Channel cut 
through James Bayou — General Pope attacks the Rebels- at 
Tiptouville — Capture of Island Number Ten — Sketch of 
General Pope — General Burnside attacks Newberu — The 
Rebels surrender — Consequences of this victory 294 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Movements of the Army of the Potomac — The battle of Win- 
chester — Its results — Sketch of General Shields — Concentra- 
tion of the Rebel troops near Corinth — Approach of the 
Federal Army under General Grant — Commencement of the 
Battle of Pittsburg Landing — Attack and capture of General 
Prentiss's troops — Efforts of General Sherman and McCler- 
nand — Gradual repulse and retreat of the Federal Army — 
Terrific scenes — Interposition of the Federal Gunboats — End 
of the first day's Battle — Arrival of General Buell — The 
second day's Conflict — Incidents of this day — The tide of 
victory is gradually reversed — Ultimate Qefeat of the Rebels 
— Their retreat to Corinth — Results of the Battle of Shiloh. . 



512 



CHAPTER XX. 

The Federal Army under General McClellan approach York- 
town — Attack on detached Rebel Entrenchments — Establish- 
ment of the Federal Camp, and erection of Federal Batteries 
— Preparations for a conflict at Yorktown — Operations of 
General Mitchell in Alabama — Sketch of General Mitchell — 
Events in Georgia — Capture of Fort Pulaski — Strength of 
the Rebel Works — Incidents of the Bombardment of that Fort 
— The conquest of New Orleans — Federal armament under 
Commodore Farragut — Bombardment of Forts Jackson and 
St. Philip — An engagement of six days — Reduction of these 
Forts — The Federal Fleet approach New Orleans — The 
Rebel troops evacuate it — The Summons to surrender — New 
Orleans occupied by Federal troops- -Sketch of Commodore 
Farragut — The Bombardment of Fort Macon — Incidents of 
the assault — Results of its capture by the Federal Troops, . . 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Operations of General McClellan at Yorktown — Battle of Lee's 
Mill— Retreat of the Federal troops — Evacuation of York- 
town by the Rebels— Pursuit by the Federals — Engagement 
between Cavalry near Williamsburg — Second conflict near 



330 



CONTENTS. 13 

Williamsburg — General Hooker's Division — Federal victory 
— Sketch of General Hancock — Battle at West Point — Rout 
of the Rebels — Bombardment of Sewall's Point — Expedition 
of General Wool against Norfolk — Operations of General 
Fremont in the Mountain Department — McDowell's Division 
at Fredericksburg — Rout of Colonel Morgan in Tennessee — 
Bombardment of Fort Wright commenced — Engagement of 
the Federal Gunboats at Fort Darling on James River — 
Advance of McOlellau's Army towards Richmond — It crosses 
the Ohickahominy — Decisive Engagement anticipated — Gene- 
ral Hunter's Abolition Proclamation — President Lincoln's 
policy respecting It 347 

CHAPTER XXII. 

The Corps d'armee of General Banks — Reduction of its numbers 
— The Rebels under Jackson attack the Advance at Front 
Royal — Design of the Rebels to overpower Banks' Division — 
The latter orders a general retreat toward Winchester- 
Various Engagements on the route — Battle at Middletown — . 
Action on the March to Winchester — Battle at Newtown — 
The Battle of Winchester — Its results — Continuance of the 
retreat to Williamsport — Adventure of the Zouaves D'Afrique 
— Federal losses during the Retreat — Sketch of General 
Banks — Attitude of the Federal and Rebel Armies at Corinth — 
A great battle anticipated — Commencement of the attack by 
General Halleck — Its results — Evacuation of Corinth by the 
Rebels — Cause of this event — An extraordinary spectacle — 
Pursuit of the retreating foe — A reconnoissance on the Chicka- 
hominy — Skirmish at the Pines — The Battle of Hanover 
Court House — Destructioh of the Richmond and Fredericks- 
burg Railroad — Gallant Exploit of Lieutenant Davis 360 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Approach of the Federal Army to Richmond — The Corps of 
General Keys cross the Chickahominy— Their exposed posi- 
tion — The Battle of Seven Pines — Position of the Federal 
troops — Commencement of the Attack — Disposition of troops 
made by General Casey — Rout of Casey's Division — General 
Couch's troops become engaged— Desperate fighting — Victory 
of the Rebels — The Federals reinforced — The Engagement of 
June first — Incidents of this Battle — Heroism of the Irish 
Regiments and of Sickles' Excelsior Brigade — The victory of 
Fair Oaks — Popular impatience for the occupation of Rich- 
mond — General Fremont ordered to expel them — They 
abandon Winchestep— Their retreat through Strasbnrg and 
Woodstock — Battle of Cross Keys — Battle of Port Republic 
— Incidents.of this Engagement — Retreat of General Jackson 
toward Richmond — Appointment of General Pope as Com- 
mander of the Department — Withdrawal of General Fremont 
— His military achievements — His true renown 386 



14 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Prominence of tlie Mississippi Eiver in the events of the "War — 
Fleet of Gunboats commanded by Commodore Davis — Evacua- 
tion of Fort Pillow — The Naval Battle before Memphis — In- 
cidents of the Engagement — Defeat of the Rebel Fleet — 
General Xegley's Expedition against Chattanooga — Incidents 
of the Expedition — General Morgan expels the Rebels from 
Cumberland Gap — Disaster to the Federal Arms at James 
Island — Incidents of the Engagement — Ultimate defeat of 
the Federal troops — Their Retreat — Gallantry of the Rebel 
Commander Lamar — Expedition of Colonel Fitch up the 
AVhite River — The Engagement at St. Charles — Accident to 
the Mound City — Cruelty of Captain Fry — Capture of the 
Rebel Forts — Excursion of Colonel Howard from Newbern to 
Swift Creek — Bombardment of Yicksburg commenced — Peril- 
ous passage of Commodore Farragut's Fleet 407 

CHAPTER XXY. 

The Entrenchments of the Federal Army before Richmond — 
Their extent — Inactivity of the Federal Forces — Concentra- 
tion of Rebel troops in Richmond — Glowing expectations of 
the loyal community — Their disappointment — The transfer of 
McClellan's base of supplies and operations to Harrison's 
Landing — First attack of the Rebels on his troops at Me- 
chanicsville — Incidents of the Battle — Commencement of the 
march toward the James River — Battle of Gaines Mill — 
Desperate fighting — Heroism and valor on both sides — Yicis- 
situdes of the Struggle — The Retreat continued toward James 
River — Disposal of the sick and wounded — Pertinacious 
pursuit by the Rebels — Singular Caravan of wagons, cattle, 
and fugitives — Battle of Peach Orchard — Its results — Battle 
at Savage's Station — Resolute Assaults of the enemy — Ap- 
palling scenes — Important results — The race to "White Oak 
Swamp — The Federal troops win the race 427 

CHAPTER XXYI. 
The Battle of White Oak Swamp — Position and order of the 
Federal troops — Temporary panic — Desperate fighting — For- 
tunate assistance of the Gunboats on James River — Heroism 
and skill of General Heintzelman — A general Bayonet Charge 
on the Rebels — Its results — First Engagement at Malvern 
Hill — Incidents of the Fight — The Irish Brigade — Complete 
defeat of the Rebels — The Federal Army removes to Harri- 
son's Landing — Results of the several Battles before Rich- 
mond — Artillery Duel on the James River — General Hooker 
sent to reconnoitre and occupy Malvern Hill — The march 
thither — Engagement with the enemy — Their defeat — Im- 
mense Reinforcements ordered from Richmond — Return of 
the Federal troops to Harrison's Landing — Final evacuation 
of their Camp by the Federal Army — Its future Destination — 
Federal losses during the Peninsula Campaign 415 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



INTEODUCTION. 



ORIGIN OF THE SOUTHERN REBELLION — CLASSIFICATION OF ITS SEVERAL 
CAUSES— THE ACT OF 1816 RESPECTING A TARIFF— AGENCY OF HENRY 

CLAY AND JOHN QUINCT ADAMS — POSITION OF JOHN C. CALHOUN 

HE FIRST CONCEIVES HIS PROJECT OF NULLIFICATION— HIS MEMORIAL 

TO GOVERNOR HAMILTON — THE OPERATION OF A HIGH TARIFF THE 

LEGISLATURE OF SOUTH CAROLINA — OUTBREAK OF THE NULLIFICATION 
MOVEMENT— VIGOROUS MEASURES OF PRESIDENT JACKSON— MR. CAL- 
HOUN IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE— A MEMORABLE DEBATE— FINAL 
SETTLEMENT OF THE DIFFICULTY- AMERICAN SLAVERY— ITS ORIGIN— 
THE PROPOSITION OF THOMAS JEFFERSON— SLAVERY IN THE TERRITO- 
RIES—THE COMPACT OF 1787— COMPROMISE OF HENRY CLAY— AN- 
NEXATION OF TEXAS — THE WILMOT PROVISO — COMPROMISE OF 1850 

SLAVERY IN KANSAS — RISE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ITS PRINCI- 
PLES AND POLICY— ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES BUCHANAN— TREASON 
IN THE FEDERAL CABINET— PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS OF THE CON- 
SPIRATORS—POLICY OF MR. BUCHANAN RESPECTING SECESSION— PRESI- 
DENTIAL CA3IPAIGN OF 1860— ELECTION OF MR. *LINCOLN— THE DOC- 
TRINE OF STATE SOVERIGNTY AS OPPOSED TO FEDERAL CENTRALIZA- 
TION — DISCUSSION OF THE SUBJECT, 

From the period of the establishment of the Federal 
Government, the people of South Carolina have been 
remarkable for their restive and troublesome temper. 
They were among most tardy and reluctant of the states 
in announcing their approval and acceptance of the 
Federal Constitution. They have always entertained a 
false and exaggerated estimate of their own importance 

15 



16 , INTEODUCTION. 

in the Union ; and in all the troubles which have dis- 
turbed and alienated the opposite portions of the coun- 
try, in all the conflicts in the National Legislature which 
have endangered the perpetuity of the Union, they and 
their leading statesmen have had an unenviable promi- 
nence. Their pernicious influence has been extended on 
various occasions to the communities immediately around 
them ; and in some instances their disloyal example has 
been followed by not a few of the Southern States. Thus 
it was that they were gradually instrumental in foment- 
ing a feeling extremely hostile to the Federal Government, 
which at length culminated in the outbreak of the South- 
ern Eebellion. Although the censure due to the origi- 
nators and chief perpetrators of that great crime does not 
belong exclusively to the people of South Carolina, it is 
but justice to ascribe to their agency a predominating 
share of it. We may arrange all the controversies which 
contributed to the birth of this Eebellion, under the 
three following general heads : 

I. The Free Trade Policy, which, under the influence 
of Mr. Calhoun, led to the experiment of Nullification. 

II. The Advocacy of Slavery, both as already existing 
in the Southern States, and as proposed in the new terri- 
tories of the Federal Union. 

III. The Dgctrine of State Sovereignty and Supremacy, 
in opposition to the policy of Federal Centralization and 
Power. 

In discussing the various causes which led to the 
Southern Eebellion, we will treat of them as comprised 
under these three general topics, and in the order of 
their historical sequence. 

I. In the year 1816 an act was passed by the Federal 
Congress, by which a reduction of five per cent, was 
made on imported .woolen and cotton goods. The people 



INTRODUCTION. 17 

and the statesmen of the country who were in favor of 
the policy of protection, were opposed to this reduction, 
aud determined as soon as possible to secure the adoption 
of a higher tariff Accordingly, in 1824, Henry Clay 
and John Quincy Adams succeeded in obtaining the 
passage of a law, by which the profits of certain kinds of 
manufactures were greatly increased. It was soon dis- 
covered that the manufacturers of the Eastern States, 
those engaged in the iron trade in Pennsylvania, and the 
producers of wool and hemp in the Northern and 
Western States, who constituted the most important 
portions of the mercantile community in the nation, 
were not sufficiently protected by this tariff'. Accord- 
ingly, in the session of Congress of 1827-8, after a long 
and desperate conflict with the advocates of the interests 
of the single staple of the South — cotton — a bill was 
passed imposing a tariff of duties, the average rate of 
which was nearly fifty per cent, on' imports. This act 
received the votes of all the representatives of the nation 
except those of the more prominent Southern States. 
The latter condemned it in the most violent terms ; stig- 
matized it as a "bill of abominations;" and began to 
mutter threats of future resistance and vengeance. 

At that period the most distinguished member of 
Congress from the South, with the single exception of 
the patriotic Henry Clay, was John Caldwell Calhoun, of 
South Carolina. No man excelled hira, among that high 
and brilliant galaxy of genius, in logical acuteness, in 
his power of close, clear, demonstrative reasoning, in his 
general knowledge of the principles of international and 
municipal law, and in the boldness and fearlessness of 
his character. He was even then the Magnus Apollo of 
Sectionalism ; and as soon as the tariff of 1828 was 
passed, in spite of his opposition and that of his con- 
2 



18 



INTRODUCTION. 



federates, by which the interests of the Cotton States 
were made secondary to the welfare of the whole nation, 
he commenced to revolve in his mind the desperate 
scheme of Nullification. If the National Government 
would not become subservient to the promotion of the 
interests of the South, could it not be possible to resist 
and overpower that government within the limits of the 
offended states ? Calhoun's answer to this inquiry was 
an affirmative one. 

Immediately after the adoption of this high tariff, 
meetings were held in several portions of South Carolina, 
in which the policy of Nullification was introduced, dis- 
cussed, and finally commended. At the request of some 
of his constituents, Mr. Calhoun prepared a document, in 
July, 1831, which defended this policy under the existing 
state of aflairs. This production was styled " The South 
Carolina Exposition and Protest on the Subject of the 
Tarift'," and was a'ddressed to the Legislature of the 
State. That body ordered a large number of copies to 
be printed and distributed, and afterward passed a reso- 
lution which declared the Tariff Acts of Congress for 
the protection of the manufacturers of the North and 
East unconstitutional ; asserted that they ought to be 
resisted ; and invited other States of the South to unite 
with South Carolina in opposing the execution of those 
acts within their respective limits. 

At that period Andrew Jackson and Mr. Calhoun were 
personal and political friends. But soon the latter 
became dissatisfied with the administration of the former, 
and was gradually alienated from him. The President 
did not condemn the high tariff, as Mr. Calhoun believed 
it his duty to do; and from the year 1831 Mr. Calhoun 
took the position of an open enemy to his policy and his 
person. One cause of the hostility which henceforth ex- 



INTRODUCTION". 



19 



isted between these remarkable men, was the fact, tbat 
at that period General Jackson discovered that Mr. Cal- 
houn had, while a member of Mr. Monroe's Cabinet, 
advised that he should be reprimanded for his conduct 
during the Seminole war, in putting Arbuthnot and 
Armbruster to death. Thenceforth there was a bitter 
and implacable hostility between them, which endured 
without abatement till the end of their lives. 

Mr. Calhoun continued his active agency in preparing 
the people of South Carolina for forcible , resistance to 
the Federal Government, and in preparing the way for 
practical Nullification. In August, 1882, he addressed 
a memorial of great length and marked ability to James 
Hamilton, at that time Governor of South Carolina, pre- 
senting all the arguments which could be devised in 
favor of that policy. In this production, which the 
people of South Carolina regarded as their Magna 
Oharta, he assumed and defended the position that the 
Federal Constitution was a mere compact, which had 
been made and ratified by the several states which had 
adopted it, and that they had done so in their capacity 
as sovereign and independent governmeuts. He further 
contended, that in adopting the Federal Constitution, the 
several States regarded the General Government merely 
as their agent in the exercise of certain powers and 
functions which they had delegated to that government, 
of the extent and nature of which the states them- 
selves were, and always must remain, the final and 
supreme judges. He concluded by endeavoring to prove, 
that when the General Government abused the powers 
thus delegated to it by the several States, in the opinion 
of all or any of them, the State or States so regarding it, 
possessed the right to resist and nullify the illegal acts 



20 INTRODUCTION 

performed by the Federal Grovernment, eacli within its 
own particular limits. 

These positions Mr. Calhoun defended with great vigor 
of thought and force of reasoning. His views were, how- 
ever, in opposition to those of Washington, Hamilton, 
and nearly all the founders of the Federal Government. 
They were condemned by the whole Whig party through- 
out the nation ; and even the majority of the Democratic 
party throughout the South, with the exception of South 
Carolina, withheld their approval of them. 

The results produced by the existence and operation 
of a high tariff' were found to be most beneficial. The 
surplus of the revenue constantly increased. The public 
debt was rapidly melting away from the ample resources 
furnished by the duties on imports. President Jackson 
stated, in his annual message of December, 1831, that 
soon the public debt would by this process be entirely 
liquidated ; and recommended that, inasmuch as so high 
a tariff" would then be no longer necessary, it should be 
afterward reduced. Accordingly the act of 1832 was 
i passed by Congress, which was declared by its sup- 
porters to be the ultimatum, the permanent proportion, 
d'f imposts which ought to exist and be retained in the 
co.untry. 

But this wise policy did not satisfy Mr. Calhoun and 
his confederates. He and they insisted that if the public 
debt had been liquidated by the public revenue, then 
there was no longer a necessity for any tariff whatever ; 
and that the reduced tariff just adopted was entirely too 
high to remain as the permanent law of the land, after the 
exigencies of the nation and of the government had been 
met. 

As no one except the people and representatives of 
South Carolina could discover the force or the conclu- 



' INTEODUCTION. 21 

siveness of fhis reasoning, they stood alone in tlie advo- 
cacy of their position. The rest of the nation contended 
and believed that the machinery of the National Govern- 
ment involved other expenses, and required other re- 
sources, beside those connected with the public debt; 
and consequently they insisted that there should still 
remain a reasonable tariffj which might furnish a suffi- 
cient revenue to meet other inevitable expenditures. 
They therefore refused to adopt the free trade policy, as 
contended for by the people and the politicians of South 
Carolina. 

This determination was the signal for an immediate 
resort to desperate measures by the disaffected. The 
representatives in Congress from South Carolina is- 
sued an address to the people of that State, informing 
them that the Federal Government had at laslr adopted 
the protective system as its permanent and unalterable 
policy ; asserting that no hope of future relief could be 
entertained from that source, and urging them to adopt 
such measures as would effectually remedy the evil. An 
election for members of the State Legislature was about 
to take place, and the issue was at once formed for or 
against Nullification, among the candidates voted fo|t 
A violent contest ensued. Although the .great majority 
of the electors in the State were in favor of the policy of 
Mr. Calhoun, there was another party in existence, small, 
but highly respectable, and very determined, headed by 
the distinguished statesman Joel E. Poinsett, who sup- 
ported the measures of the General Government. But 
their efforts in behalf of law and order were unavailing, 
and the struggle terminated in the election of a large 
majority of Nullifiers to the Legislature. 

That body assembled in October, 1832, and chose 
delegates to a State Convention, which met at Columbia 



/ 



22 



INTRODUCTION. 



on the 19th of November. On the 24th of the month, 
the Convention passed the famous ordinance of Nullifica- 
tion. That ordinance declared the acts of Congress of 
1828 and 1832 to be wholly null and void within the 
limits of the State of South Carolina. It forbade any 
appeal to be made to the Supreme Court of the United 
States in any case involving the validity of the ordinance 
itself. It prohibited the authorities of the State of South 
Carolina, or of the Federal Government, from executing 
the acts of Congress aforesaid within the state, from and 
after the first of February, 1833 ; and it declared that any 
attempt made by the Federal Government to enforce the 
revenue laws otherwise than through the civil tribunals, 
which would of course be abortive, would be an outrage 
so great as to "justify the State in seceding from the Union, 
and in establishing a separate and independent Government.'''' 
The Legislature of South Carolina was still in session, 
and that body immediately passed resolutions which ap- 
proved of this ordinance, and gave it greater effect. It 
did more. It ordered the State to be placed in a position 
of defence; it organized, armed, and equipped the 
number of troops which were deemed necessary to resist 
the General Government in its efforts to enforce the col- 
lection of the revenue ; and it encouraged the citizens to 
maintain their position and to defend their invaded rights 
until the last extremity. 

As soon as the action of the Nullifiers of Soutli 
Carolina became known to the inflexible hero and 
patriot who then sat in the chief executive chair of the 
nation, he took the most vigorous measures to crush 
them. He issued a proclamation declaring the ordinance 
of the State Convention treasonable, and subversive of 
the Federal Constitution ; he announced his determina- 
tion to enforce the collection of the national revenue at 



INTEODUCTION, 23 

all hazards ; and he cautioned the people of the State of 
South Carolina against the ruinous policy which they 
were tempted to adopt. This proclamation was answered 
by another from Mr. Hayne, at that time Governor of the 
State, in which the policy of Nullification was justified. 
At the same time the latter summoned twelve thousand 
volunteers to take arms in opposition to the Federal 
troops. 

During the progress of these events, Mr. Calhoun had 
remained in South Carolina, and had been the prime 
mover in the rebellion. In December, 1832, he was 
chosen to succeed Mr. Hayne in the United States Senate, 
and to defend the conduct of his native State in the 
National Legislature. At that moment President Jackson 
was undecided whether it were not his duty to arrest 
Mr. Calhoun before he reached Washington, on the charge 
of treason ; and the general impression was, that such an 
event would take place. Beyond the limits of South 
Carolina Mr. Calhoun was generally regarded with dis- 
trust, sometimes with abhorrence, as being in heart a 
traitor to the Government ; and on his way to Washing- 
ton, he was repeatedly assailed by the clamors and insults 
of the indignant people. But he was at that time Vice 
President of the United States, and he remained invested 
with that office until he took his seat in the Senate. 
That fact and other prudent consideratious, induced 
Jackson to refrain from the extreme measure which he 
had once contemplated. But it is worthy of remark, 
that the stern hero of New Orleans afterward bitterlv 
regretted his lenity on this occasion, and continued to do 
so during the remainder of his life. 

Shortly after Mr. Calhoun took his seat in the Senate, 
he introduced a resolution requesting the President of the 
United States to lay before that body the documents 



24 INTRODUCTION'. 

connecteLl witli the NulUlication ordinance, certified copies 
of which had been transmitted to him by Governor 
Hayne. Immediately, and before his request could be 
complied with, General Jackson addressed a message to 
the Senate bearing date January 16th, 1833, in which he 
condemned the conduct of South Carolina in reference to 
the question of Nullification. This message, and all the 
documents having reference to the matter, were referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary for consideration. 
Daniel Webster was a prominent member of this Com- 
mittee, and exerted himself to procure the adoption of 
such a report as should effectually crush the scorpion 
head of Nullification. Under his guidance the Com- 
mittee reported the famous Force Bill, which invested the 
President with additional powers in reference to the 
matter, and extended and increased the jurisdiction of the 
Courts of the United States in cases arising under the 
revenue laws. The acknowledged purpose of this bill 
was to enable and encourage the President to put down 
Nullification by force of arms. 

At this crisis Mr. Calhoun came forward, and enacted 
the most distinguished and important achievement of his 
life. He addressed the Senate, and proposed that, before 
the discussion of the provisions of this bill should be 
commenced, the important abstract questions of constitu- 
tional law, which were involved in the issue, should be 
debated ; and in order to bring about that result, he in- 
troduced a number of resolutions, which included the 
topics at issue. These resolutions contained the substance 
and the germ of the whole policy of Southern resistance 
to the Federal Government, and they have been since, and 
still remain, the creed and catechism of Secession poli- 
ticians. The overwhelming majority which was arrayed 
against Mr. Calhoun in the Senate, soon laid those resolu- 



INTRODUCTION. 25 

tions upon tlie table ; and the bill reported by the Com- 
mittee was then taken up for consideration. A memorable 
debate ensued, Mr. Calhoun delivered on this occasion 
his ablest eflfort, known as his " speech against the Force 
Bill." But his logic and eloquence were useless. The 
bill passed, after one of the most magnificent displays 
of forensic power and genius ever witnessed in that hall, 
which has been the arena of so many masterly and con- 
summate orators. The bill became a law on the 28th of 
February, 1833. 

Immediately afterward, General Jackson adopted the 
most vigorous measures to crush the power and the life 
of the hydra of Nullification. He dispatched General 
Scott with a body of troops to Charleston. Forts Sumter 
and Moultrie, which have been since invested with an 
unfortunate celebrity, were strongly garrisoned. When 
the rebels discovered that they had no time-serving, 
imbecile, pusillanimous "■ Public Funetionarif to deal 
with ; when they saw that, if they persisted in resisting 
the processes and the writs of the Federal Government, 
Charleston would be bombarded, and they would feel the 
full weight of the just indignation of the Government, 
they retraced their steps, their ardor died out, they 
approved of more prudent measures ; and eventually the 
same State Convention which had adopted the infamous 
Ordinance of Nullification repealed it, and ceased their 
opposition to the authority of the United States. 

Such was the termination of the first attempt of the 
politicians of South Carolina to resist the execution of 
the laws, and to destroy the Unity of the National 
Government. Nor can we forbear here to indulge the 
reflection that if, on the more recent outbreak of rebellion 
which has occurred in that State, so thoroughly infected 
with treason, a Chief Executive officer, possessing the 



26 INTRODUCTION. 

same energy, sagacity, and patriotism, had occupied the 
highest seat of power, measures of the same effective 
nature would have been adopted, which would have 
speedily led to the accomplishment of the same glorious 
and felicitous results. The seed, however, which Cal- 
houn and his associates sowed, fell into productive 
soil, took deep root, sprang up, and brought forth 
deadly and noxious fruit, some sixty, some even a 
hundred fold. His memorable saying was not forgotten : 
" If you should ask me the word that I would wish to 
have engraven on my tombstone, I answer, it is Nulli- 
fication." 

11. The second cause which led to the Southern 
Rebellion was the contest, often characterized by extreme 
bitterness and malignity, which has been progressing 
during many years between the opposite portions of this 
Union in reference to the extension and restriction of 
Slavery, its perpetuity in those States in which it already 
existed, and its introduction into those new Territories 
which have been, and which might hereafter be, from 
time to time, organized by the Federal Government. 

In March, 1830, John C. Calhoun declared, in the 
Senate of the United States, that he had believed from 
the first that "the agitation of the subject of Slavery 
would, if not prevented by some timely and effective 
measure, end in the dissolution of the Union." His 
prediction was verified. The " agitation" of so important 
an institution can never be prevented or suspended, even 
on the part of prudent, moderate, and conservative states- 
men, and hence the expedient of Disunion was at last 
resorted to. We will present a brief survey of the facts 
connected with the past history and discussion of this 
irrepressible subject in our country. 

On the 22d of December, 1620, a Dutch trading vessel. 



INTEODUCTION. 



27 



a slave ship, sailing directly from the coast of Africa, 
passed up James river, in Virginia, and landed twenty 
negroes, who were immediately sold to the chief inhabi- 
tants of Jamestown, Tliey were the first slaves of 
African origin who ever existed on the American conti- 
nent. The purchasers were English adventurers, aristo- 
cratic cavaliers, who, at home, had been accustomed to 
idleness and luxury, but having become reduced in wealth, 
had emigrated to the New World to improve their 
broken fortunes. To men of such habits and tastes the 
presence of such chattels as slaves, compelled to obey all 
their whims and minister to all their caprices, was a very 
acceptable and novel addition to their means of enjoy- 
ment. The example of this Dutch slave dealer, whose 
name has passed into an ignominious oblivion, was soon 
followed by others; and in a short time vessels, crowded 
with the manacled and helpless children of Africa, sailed 
into every port of the American continent, and freely 
sold their human cargoes to the inhabitants of every 
colony which had then been planted. 

By this means, and by the natural increase of the 
negroes, slavery became gradually established in all the 
thirteen colonies. Immediately after the conclusion of 
the Eevolutionary "War, and while the several States were 
still governed by the Articles of Confederation, Thomas 
Jefferson introduced a resolution into the Continental 
Congress to the effect that, after the year 1800, no slavery 
should exist in any of the Western Territories or on any 
soil not included within the established and ancient limits 
of the States themselves. This proposition was made in 
April, 1784. But it was overruled because, though 
sixteen delegates voted for it, and only seven against it, 
the Articles of Confederation required that the votes of 
nine States should be given in favor of any resolution, to 



28 INTKODUCTION. 

give it the validity of law. Wben the Federal Constitu- 
tion was discussed, previous to its adoption, this subject 
was the most difficult with which the immortal sages and 
statesmen who composed that instrument were called 
upon to deal. Already had this institution become 
closely interwoven with all the customs, interests, and 
associations of the citizens of the Southern States ; and 
whatever might be the abstract opinions which the people 
of those States entertained in reference to the subject of 
human liberty, and the equal rights of man, their personal 
feeling and their individual interests had become identified 
with negro bondage, as an essential feature of their social 
and political existence. All, therefore, that could be done 
by the advocates of the discontinuance of this institution 
was, to obtain the introduction of a clause in the amend- 
ments to the Constitution, somewhat ambiguous in its 
meaning, which enacted that "No person shall be 
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process 
of law, nor shall private property be taken for public 
use without just compensation." 

As this provision amounted to little or nothing in 
restricting the diffusion of slavery, when new Territories 
were occupied and settled in the South, and were after- 
ward elevated to the dignity and invested with the 
prerogatives of sovereign States, slavery invariably went 
hand in hand with that process. Thus, when Kentucky 
was formed out of the limits of Virginia, when Tennessee 
was carved out of those of North Carolina, when Alabama 
and Mississippi were created from those of Georgia, this 
institution constituted a component element of their 
political and social existence. When first these regions 
were ceded to the Federal Government as Territories, it 
was with the express understanding, that Congress should 
not attempt by any law or statute to abolish slavery 



INTRODUCTIOlSr. 29 

witliin their boundaries ; and tliey even stipulated, by 
an express condition, that when these Territories had 
acquired the requisite number of white inhabitants to 
entitle them to admission to the Union as States, they 
should be thus admitted with the institution of slavery, 
as it then already existed in them, fully recognized, 
allowed, and protected. 

The sixth article of the compact made in 1787, between 
the United States and the people and States west and 
northwest of the river Ohio, prohibited the introduction of 
slavery in those immense regions. An attempt was 
itiade in January, 1807, in the American Congress, to 
suspend this article for ten years throughout the vast 
"Indiana Territory," of which General Harrison was 
then the Governor. It failed, and thus those States and 
Territories have ever since remained exempt from the 
presence and the incubus of negro slavery. 

On three several occasions a desperate struggle oc- 
curred in Congress, in reference to the existence of 
slavery in the territory comprised within the State of 
Missouri. The first was in 1817, when she was admitted 
as a Territory. Then an efibrt was made to have a clause 
forbidding the existence of slavery in her limits inserted 
in her Constitution. After a long and angry debate that 
clause was expunged. The second contest occurred in 
1819, when Missouri presented her claim to admission to 
the Union as a State. Henry Clay was then Speaker of 
the House, and the committee appointed by him to re- 
port on the subject, were all, with a single exception, 
representatives from the South. They reported in favor 
of the recognition of slavery in the Territory. Their 
recommendation, after another protracted and vigorous 
conflict, was supported by both Houses ; and slavery was 
recognized by an express clause of the Constitution of 



30 INTRODUCTION. 

the State. The third combat on this subject occurred in 
1820. It was called forth by an attempt of the pro- 
slavery advocates to amend the Constitution of the State, 
so as to prevent free negroes from entering and residing 
within the limits of Missouri ; and asking the approval 
of Congress to the measure. On this occasion, after a 
lengthy discussion, Henry Clay, who may justly be 
termed the Napoleon of Compromises, came forward with 
his famous Missouri Compromise, as the best possible 
settlement of a difficulty which became apparently more 
complicated and more pernicious from hour to hour. 
He proposed, in the report of .a committee of which he 
was the chairman, that a pledge should be required of 
the Legislature of Missouri, that the Constitution of that 
State should not be interpreted to authorize the passage 
of a law, by which any of the citizens of either of the 
states should be excluded from the enjoyment of all 
the privileges and immunities to which they were any- 
where entitled, under the Constitution of the United 
States. The meaning of this proposition was, that as 
negroes were then recognized by the Constitutions of 
several of the States, as citizens possessing certain rights ; 
and as the Federal Constitution recognized the validity 
of those State Constitutions, therefore, the State of Mis- 
souri should not pass any law which deprived the free 
negroes residing within her limits of the rights which 
they might elsewhere have possessed. 

The measure introduced and advocated by Mr. Clay, 
was eventually passed, and became the law of the land in 
February, 1821. 

The Territory of Texas was originally a province 
belonging to the Vice-royalty of Mexico, while that State 
was yet a portion of the Spanish monarchy. After the 
deliverance of Mexico from Spanish power and tyranny, 



INTRODUCTION. 31 

Texas remained a part of the Mexican Eepublic. In 
1835 her inhabitants revolted from the authority of that 
Republic, and established an independent government. 
In 1836 the decisive victory of San Jacinto secured the 
perpetuity of their liberties, by delivering the Texans 
from the authority of their former rulers. In 1844 the 
new Republic applied for admission to the Federal 
Union ; and as slavery already existed within her limits, 
that difficult and eternally obtrusive theme became a 
prominent element of the discussions which ensued in 
consequence of her application. Texas was finally ad- 
mitted to the Union in 1845, with a clause in her Con- 
stitution fully recognizing the existence of slavery within 
her borders. 

The war with Mexico, whose government had protested 
against the admission of Texas, immediately followed. 
The armies of the United States, \mder the generalship 
of the gallant Scott and Taylor, marched into the terri- 
tory of the enemy, and carried the Stars and Stripes in 
triumph from one field of glory to another, until they 
were unfurled, and waved in majestic splendor, from the 
summit of the towers and spires of the city of Monte- 
zuma, During the progress of this memorable war, the 
Federal Congress voted liberal supplies to our armies in 
Mexico ; but in August, 1846, when President Polk de- 
manded an appropriation of thirty thousand dollars for 
immediate use, and two millions more for subsequent 
exigencies, a number of the representatives from the 
North determined to embrace the opportunity to place 
some restriction, as the price of their votes, upon the 
extension of slavery in the territory which had been the 
cause of the war. 

Hon. David Wilmot, of Pennsylvania, was chosen as 
the representative of thi^ faction ; and he offered in the 



32 INTRODUCTION. 

House his famous proposition, known as the Wihnot 
Proviso. That Proviso set forth : " That as an express 
and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any ter- 
ritory from the Eepublic of Mexico by the United States, 
by virtue of any treaty which may be negotiated between 
them, and to the use by the Executive of the moneys 
herein appropriated, neither slavery nor involuntary 
servitude shall ever exist in any part of said Territory, 
except for crime, whereof the party shall first be duly 
convicted." This proposition, after being adopted by the 
House, was rejected by the Senate. It was subsequently 
revived in various forms, and under different disguises. 
Meanwhile the war progressed to a glorious conclusion, 
and other topics of grave and absorbing interest occupied 
the attention of Congress and the nation. But the pecu- 
liar circumstances under which the Wilmot Proviso 
happened to have been originally proposed, gave it a 
prominence in the annals of American political affairs, 
to which it was not entitled by any inherent importance 
or merit of its own. 

After the triumphant termination of the war with 
Mexico, a grateful nation elevated Zachary Taylor to 
the Presidential chair. It became the duty of the Con- 
gress which immediately afterward convened, to determine 
whether or not slavery should be admitted into the newly 
acquired territories of California and New Mexico. This 
topic elicited, as was usually the case, a discussion of ex- 
treme duration and violence. At length, in January, 
1850, Henry Clay proposed his resolutions in the Senate 
known as the Compromise of 1850. 

The most important propositions contained in this 
remarkable document were these : That it was inexpedi- 
ent for Congress to provide by law, either for the intro- 
duction of slavery into, or for its exclusion from, any of 



INTRODUCTION. 33 

the territory acquired by the United States from Mexico ; 
that territorial governments should be provided by Con- 
gress for all those new acquisitions, without adopting any 
provision whatever respecting slavery ; that it was inex- 
pedient to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, 
as long as slavery existed in Maryland ; that, however, 
it was expedient to prohibit, within the District, the sale 
of slaves which should be brought into it from other 
states, either for the purpose of being sold in it, or of 
being transported through it to slave markets elsewhere. 
In support of this compromise Mr. Clay exhausted, for 
the last time, all the resources of his marvelous and 
matchless eloquence ; — an eloquence whose persuasive 
power and pathos the heavy burden of years had been 
unable to diminish or enfeeble. The venerable statesman 
presented in the Senate of the United States, on that 
occasion, one of the sublimest spectacles ever exhibited 
by pure patriotism, by exalted genius, and by dauntless 
heroism, in the annals of mankind. He believed that 
the safety and perpetuity of the Federal Union, to whose 
power and glory he had himself contributed so much and 
so long, depended upon the adoption of the measures which 
he then proposed ; and he acted and spoke accordingly. 

One of the most memorable debates which ever oc- 
curred in the National Legislature ensued, in the discus- 
sion of these propositions. Eminent senators delivered 
some of their most elaborate and masterly arguments. 
Among these who opposed them with great zeal, was 
Jefferson Davis, then honored as the Senator from Mis- 
sissippi. During the long period of two months, the 
subject occupied the exclusive attention of Congress. 
Mr. Clay's propositions gradually became modified by so 
many amendments, mutilations, and addenda, that they 
were finally termed, with considerable show of propriety, 
3 



84 INTRODUCTION. 

the Omnibus- Bill. As the Omnibus Bill, they were 
eventually passed by both Houses; but when thus 
adopted; they retained very little of the spirit and of the 
purposes which characterized them, when they first 
proceeded from the gifted mind and the patriotic heart 
of the Sage of Ashland. Another important feature of 
this act, was the adoption of a more efficient Fugitive 
Slave Law, by which the slave property of the South was 
protected still more zealously and efficiently than before. 

All these struggles, to which the institution of slavery 
had thus far given rise, were mere impalpable conflicts 
of words. A time now approached, in the history of this 
controversy, when it assumed mere tragical and desperate 
aspects, and became invested with more formidable and 
repulsive features. 

In the session of Congress of 1852-3, Stephen A. 
Douglas introduced a bill for the purpose of organizing 
the Territory of Nebraska out of the region lying 
immediately west of Missouri. It is evident that this 
Territory was included within the limits of that tract 
from which slavery was forever to be excluded, and to 
which exclusion the Southern States had themselves 
consented, by the terms of the Missouri Compromise, in 
order that they might obtain the admission of Missouri 
as a slave state. In 1852 the National Conventions 
both of the Whig and the Democratic parties indorsed and 
accepted the Compromise of 1850, which implied that 
the Territory of Nebraska should not be made a slave 
region. In January, 1854, Mr. Douglas reported a bill 
for the purpose of organizing the Territory of Nebraska, 
in which a clause was introduced, which declared that 
the Missouri restriction on slavery in that Territory was 
inoperative and void. In May, 1854, this bill passed 
both Houses of Congress, was signed by the President, 



INTRODUCTION. 85 

and became a law. During the progress of the discussion, 
however, the bill had been variously modified ; and 
when finally adopted, it contained the following im- 
portant provision : that it was the true meaning and 
intent of the act of 1850, not to legislate slavery into any 
Territory or State, nor to exclude it therefrom ; " but to 
leave the people thereof perfectly free to regulate their 
own domestic institution in their own way, subject only 
to the Constitution of the United States ;" and that such 
a policy of non-intervention, neither protecting, establish- 
ing, prohibiting, nor abolishing slavery within the 
Nebraska Territory, should remain a fundamental prin- 
ciple in its Constitution. 

Subsequent to the passage of this law, and expressly 
covered by its provisions, the Territory of Kansas was 
organized. It unquestionably left the people, that is, 
those who were the laioful citizens of both Territories, at 
liberty to determine for themselves whether or not 
slavery should exist in future within their limits. It 
devolved the important duty of deciding the matter upon 
the legal authorities of each Territory, chosen in a legiti- 
mate manner, and expressing their will in a constitutional 
way. Then the great struggle began in regard to the 
ultimate decision of the people respecting the existence 
of slavery in future among them ; and then were enacted 
all those horrors and outrages which have rendered the 
annals of Kansas a dark and repulsive spot on the pages 
of American history. 

After the organization of the Territory, successive 
Governors, appointed by the President, administered its 
affairs with different degrees of integrity and success, 
some of them being honest, sober, and capable men; 
others being knavish, drunken, and imbecile. The legal 
inhabitants of Kansas began to assemble in various 



L 



86 INTRODUCTION. 

portions of the Territory, to express tlieir opinions in 
public meetings, to arrange tlieir plans of political action, 
and to perform other duties which devolved on them as 
good citizens. Prominent among these duties, in the 
progress of time, were the adoption of a State Constitution, 
and the formation of a State Government, The para- 
mount question to be decided by them still was, whether 
slavery should be recognized and permitted as a future 
element in the laws and the social condition of the com- 
munity. Conventions were held at Lawrence, at Topeka, 
and elsewhere. The convention which sat at Topeka in 
September, 1855, possessed all the sanctions and forms 
of law in its favor, which were necessary to invest its 
act3 with a legitimate and binding authority. It was 
summoned by an express proclamation of the Governor. 
It was attended by all the executive officers of the 
Territory, by the Clerk of the Supreme Court, and by the 
Attorney General. Its members were chosen in a legal 
manner, and they represented the lawful inhabitants of 
the Territory. They passed a resolution providing for 
the better government and organization of the State, 
designated the proper qualification of voters, and ap- 
pointed the times and places where these voters should 
assemble to determine whether slavery should in future 
exist within their limits. 

The large majority of the inhabitants of Kansas were 
ardently opposed to slavery. The Territory had long 
been the scene execrable acts of violence and disorder 
which were perpetrated chiefly by that class of depraved 
and irresponsible persons who will always constitute a 
part of the inhabitants of any new territory. But at the 
period which now arrived, these outrages assumed a 
more terrible form, and events occurred in that remote 
and primitive region, which make the citizens of a well 



INTRODUCTION. 37 

ordered and a prosperous social state sliudder with, 
horror. This contest also assumed importance in another 
respect. Kansas became representative ground, and the 
struggle a representative one between the whole North 
and South — between the partisans of slavery and the 
advocates of freedom throughout the entire nation. 

As the question whether Kansas should thenceforth be a 
free State was to be determined at the ballot-box, the 
ballot-box became the centre around which many of 
these violent outrages clustered. The majority of the 
opponents of the freedom of Kansas were to be found 
among the desperate and savage adventurers who lived 
in Missouri, in the vicinity of the Kansas border. Im- 
mense crowds of these ruffians, infuriated by political 
rancor, and still more by excess in intoxicating drinks, 
rode over to the places appointed for holding the 
elections ; and sometimes by threats, sometimes by actual 
violence, defeated the purposes of the law, and interfered 
with, and often entirely suppressed, the rights of the 
citizens at the ballot box. 

The Convention which was held at Topeka, in Kansas, 
adopted a Free State Constitution for the future govern- 
ment of the Territory. That Constitution was afterward 
presented in due form to Congress for their approval, by 
Commissioners appointed for that purpose. In the House 
the document was referred to the Committee on Terri- 
tories; a majority of whom reported in favor of the 
admission of Kansas, under its provisions, as a free State. 
A desperate contest then ensued between the advocates 
of slavery and its opponents, in which Alexander H. 
Stephens of Georgia, afterward the Yice President of the 
Southern Confederacy, especially distinguished himself. 
At length, however, on the 3d of July, 1856, the final 
vote was taken upon the subject and the bill passed ; 



38 INTRODUCTIOX. 

thus receiving the sanction of law, so far as the approval 
of that particular department of the National Legislature 
was concerned. 

In this review of the causes which led to the Southern 
Eebellion, it is proper that a brief notice be taken of 
the famous " Dred Scott case," by which the advocates of 
the interests of slaveholders succeeded in obtaining from 
a majority of the Judges of the Supreme Court of the 
United States a decision which threw the weight and the 
influence of that august tribunal in favor of pro-slavery 
interests and pretensions. The Court, however, were not 
unanimous in their views ; two of the Justices, equal in 
profound legal learning to any of their associates — 
McLain and Curtis — having dissented from the opinion 
of the majority. Two points were decided in that case. 
The first was, in substance, that no negro could bring 
a suit in the United States Courts. The second was, that 
Congress possessed no right to prohibit slavery in the 
Territories. The first decision was equivalent to the 
assertion that no negro, imported as a slave from Africa, 
nor any descendant of such slave, could ever be regarded 
as a citizen of the United States, in the meaning of that 
term as it is used in the Federal Constitution ; and that 
consequently no negro could possess any absolute rights 
in the United States. The second point was equivalent 
to a declaration that no power or authority existed in the 
country, neither in Congress nor in a Territorial 
Government, which was competent to exclude slavery 
from any of the Territories of the United States. 

This decision, so monstrous and anomalous in its 
nature, was hailed by the South as a grand and glorious 
victory. The rest of the nation regarded it with repug- 
nance and contempt ; and although no higher judicial 
tribunal existed which could reverse it in legal form, it 



INTRODUCTION. 39 

was condemned and overruled by that tribunal wliicli is 
paramount, in a republic, to every other source of 
authority— by the loud and overwhelming thunder-tone 
of Pithlic Opinion. 

The events which had occurred in Kansas during the 
administration of Mr. Pierce, and the mysterious disap- 
pearance of the Whig party, once so powerful and 
respectable in the arena of American politics, led. to the 
sudden rise of a new and formidable political organization, 
which took the not inappropriate name of the Eepublican 
party. It owed its birth, in reality, to the apprehensions 
created by the continual and insatiable aggressions of the 
Slave Power in the United States, which seemed deter- 
mined, by every expedient which could possibly be 
rendered available for that purpose, so to mould and 
control the Federal Government, in all its various 
branches, legislative, judicial, and executive, as to convert 
it into the mere tool of a slave propagandism. The 
new party was composed oi old Whigs, moderate anti- 
slavery men, some native Americans, and some Demo- 
crats, who, having become convinced that the old Demo- 
cratic party had entirely betrayed and ignored its primi- 
tive principles, felt themselves fully justified in abandoning 
it. In this new political creation, whiclj thus suddenly 
emerged into vigorous life, was found a large and im- 
posing conglomeration of the talent, patriotism, wealth, 
and personal respectability of the nation ; and the South 
beheld with mingled astonishment, aversion, and fear, 
the colossal proportions and dauntless spirit of the young 
and rising Hercules. 

The cardinal doctrine of the Republican party was, not 
to interfere with the institution of slavery as it already 
existed, either in the slave States or even in the slave 
Territories. Its fundamental principles and purpose, as 



40 INTRODUCTION. 

set fortli first in the Philadelphia platform, under which 
Mr. Fremont was nominated, and afterward in the 
Chicago platform, under which Mr. Lincoln was nomi- 
nated, were simply to prevent, by legitimate and constitu- 
tional means, the extension of slavery in those territories 
which were as yet untainted by its presence and its 
power. On the 18th of June, 1856, the National Con- 
vention of the Kepublican party, having convened in 
Philadelphia, nominated Mr. Fremont as their candidate 
for the presidency ; and then the struggle commenced. 
Now, for the first time, were the great issues connected 
with slavery-extension in the territories placed before the 
nation in such a form, that the voice of the whole people 
could be heard upon them without the mixture of fanati- 
cal zeal or ultra partizanship. The contest was, however, 
one of the most violent which had ever taken place in 
any free government, in connection with the strict ob- 
servance of law and order. In its desperate throes with 
the new organization, the ancient Democratic party was 
shaken to its centre. It had selected as its candidate for 
the presidency, one of the most crafty and experienced 
of its politicians. James Buchanan guided his confeder- 
ates through the storm, with that consummate skill which 
might have been expected from a man whose whole life 
had been spent in threading the mazes and in practicing 
the intrigues of political contests ; and who had always 
acquitted himself with abilitj^ and with more than an 
ordinary share of success. The result of the contest was 
favorable to his aspirations. Never before had so young 
a party made so magnificent a display of organization 
and strength as did the Eepublican on this occasion ; but 
Mr. Buchanan was elected President by an inconsiderable 
majority. 

In March, 1857, the new President entered upon an 



INTRODUCTION. 41 

administration whicli deserves, in some respects, to be 
regarded as the most ignominious whicli has occurred in 
the annals of the Federal Government. His election, 
indeed, postponed the act of Secession on the part of the 
South for a limited period ; for there is sufficient proof to 
satisfy every impartial mind, that the leading politicians 
of the South had already determined in 1856, that, if the 
Republican candidate had then been chosen, the act 
which disgraced the year 1861, would have been antici- 
pated in the year 1857. The success of the Democratic 
party, however, deprived them both of the excuse and of 
the motive for immediate secession. The propitious 
hour decisive of the destinies of a new republic had not 
yet arrived. Another chief magistrate had been elected, 
who, they thought, would certainly equal, possibly he 
might even excel, all his predecessors in subserviency to 
Southern arrogance and Southern interests. This hope 
was more than realized by the result. 

Nevertheless, the grand enterprise of Secession re- 
mained constantly uppermost in the minds of the very 
same men who afterward achieved it. The Southern 
Convention which met at Montgomery, Alabama, in 
1858, deliberately contemplated the ultimate and inevita- 
ble purpose of breaking up the Union intp fragments. 
Already at that period a man of superior talents, of 
daring spirit, and of perverted ambition, had devoted 
himself to the attainment of the bad eminence of beinsr 

O 

regarded as the most active, resolute, and indefatigable 
of the foes of the Union. William L. Yancey vras a 
prominent member of that Convention, and all the re- 
sources of his powerful eloquence were employed to give 
perfect form and vigorous spirit to the enterprise of 
Secession. In order to prepare the way for the attain- 
ment of ultimate success, he announced the fact that the 



42 INTRODUCTION. 

South were entitled, and would thencefortli assert their 
right, to what he termed Congressional Protection to 
Slavery in the Territories; and that doctrine was an- 
nounced as being a fundamental part of the future issue 
in party politics. Soon this idea was promulgated by 
those journals in the South which were devoted to Seces- 
sion. In September, 1858, the New Orleans Delta pro- 
claimed this doctrine as being a leading element of future 
agitation. The Richmond Enquirer, then under the con- 
trol of Henry A. Wise, took the same position. But 
these demagogues never expected to achieve so disgrace- 
ful a result, as to render the Federal Grovernment sub- 
servient to that measure. Their real purpose was to 
make the demand in Congress, knowing that it would be 
rejected ; thus to create a fresh hostility between the 
North and the South, and by the assistance of that 
hostility to commence the agitation of Secession with the 
greater probabilities of success. 

The disunion chiefs took time by the forelock, and 
provided for distant emergencies. In September, 1858, 
Jefferson Davis alluded in a speech delivered at Jackson, 
Mississippi, to the possibility of the election of a Repub- 
lican President, and made the following declaration : " If 
an abolitionist be chosen President of the United States, 
you will have presented to you the question whether you 
will permit the Grovernment to pass into the hands of 
your avowed and implacable enemies. Without pausing 
for an answer, I will state ray own position to be, that 
such a result would be a species of revolution, by which 
the purposes of the Government would be destroyed, and 
the observance of its mere forms entitled to no respect. 
In that event, in such manner as should be most ex23e- 
dient, I should deem it your duty to provide for your 
safety outside of tlie Union, from those who have already 



INTRODUCTION. 43 

sliown tlie will, and would have acquired the power, to 
deprive jou of your birthright, and reduce you to worse 
than the colonial dependence of your fathers," This 
sentiment, uttered in 1858, increased in intensity and 
strength until it Avas realized in 1861. As the adminis- 
tration of Mr. Buchanan progressed, it became evident 
that he regarded the interests and the demands of the 
South with a partial eye. Probably unaware of the 
desperate extremes to which their leaders were capable 
of going, and unable to penetrate the ultimate purpose 
of their designs, he aided them whenever it lay in his 
power so to do. 

One important act of this description was the Presi- 
dent's agency in reference to the Lecompton Constitu- 
tion. The Senate not having approved of the instrument 
which had been adopted by the Topeka Convention, 
excluding slavery from Kansas, a subtle scheme was 
contrived by Southern representatives for the purpose of 
forcing Kansas into the Union as a slave State, from a 
knowledge of which scheme even the Governor and 
Secretary of the Territory were carefully excluded. A 
new Constitution was prepared at Washington, under 
the auspices of the Administration, the ultimate effect of 
which was to secure the admission of slavery into the 
future State. A convention was summoned to meet at 
Lecompton, for the express purpose of approving and 
adopting that Constitution ; — at the same time, the pro- 
vision made to exclude the Free State men from an equal 
share of influence at the ballot-box ; the use of United 
States troops to overawe citizens in the exercise of their 
legitimate rights ; and other arbitrary acts, clearly de- 
monstrated the perverted feelings which animated the 
Chief Executive. When infamous frauds were com- 
mitted at the ballot-box in Kansas, and returns of the 



44 INTRODUCTION. 

elections were made to the Federal Government, which 
were known and demonstrated to have been illegal, Mr. 
Buchanan refused to go behind'those returns, and insisted 
on receiving the voice of one fifth of the population of 
the Territory as the fairly uttered sentiment of the legal 
majority. Fortunately there was a formidable power in 
the legislative department of the Government, which was 
able to overrule the perversity of the Executive. The 
result was, that the people of Kansas escaped the misfor- 
tune of having an institution forced upon them which was 
repugnant to their feelings, to their principles, and to 
their interests. Kansas was eventually admitted to the 
Union as a free State, in spite of the opposition of the 
Southern politicians, and in spite of the compliant 
artifices of the President. This event was another heavy 
grievance to the South ; and it confirmed the foregone 
conclusion of their leaders in favor of Secession. 

The politicians and statesmen of the South were now 
convinced, from various indications, that the probabili- 
ties in favor of the success of the candidate of the Eepub- 
lican party in 1860 were overwhelming. They accord- 
ingly commenced to take the preliminary steps which 
were necessary to accomplish their favorite project. 
Unfortunately for the Union, the Cabinet of Mr. Bu- 
chanan was infested with men unworthy of their high 
trust. In the formation of that Cabinet the South had, 
as usual, obtained an undue and exaggerated proportion. 
When the chief conspirators sounded Mr. Floyd, the 
Secretary of War, they found him a willing and ready 
tool. He prostituted all the influence and resources of 
his ofQ.ce to their designs. Quietly and gradually, so as 
not to excite public suspicion, an immense number of 
muskets belonging to the Federal Government, were 
transported by that traitor to places in the Southern 



INTRODUCTION. 45 

States, where they could be of no possible service in time 
of peace, but would be ready at hand in the event of 
war. During the year 1860, a hundred and twenty -five 
thousand stand of arms were sent southward from the 
armory at Springfield alone. During that year, not a 
single musket was sent to any fort or arsenal in the 
Northern or Western States. Twenty thousand muskets 
were also sold to the South at a merely nominal price. 

Thus munitions of war were plundered from their 
rightful owners, and placed in the hands of the secret 
enemies of the Government, for the express and antici- 
pated purpose of destroying it ; and this was done by one 
who himself held a distinguished post in that Govern- 
ment, and had sworn to support the Federal Constitution. 
Mr. Cobb, Secretary of the Treasury, assisted the in- 
famous enterprise, as far as the functions of his office 
permitted him. Mr. Thompson, Secretary of the Interior, 
was also a particeps criminis. A large proportion of the 
Cabinet being in the secret service of the enemies of the 
Union, they commenced their treasonable purposes with 
decisive advantages in their favor. It is not probable, 
however, that Mr. Buchanan suspected, much less that 
he approved of, the designs of these traitors. No reason- 
able motive can be assigned, or imagined, which could 
have induced him so to do. He had attained the highest 
honor known to exist in any free government. He had 
occupied the seat which had been adorned by the genius 
and virtues of Washington, Jefferson, and Adams ; and 
no Southern Confederacy, however successful and power- 
ful it might become, could give him any glory or profit 
as great or greater than that which he had already at- 
tained. The loftiest aspirations of his ambition had been 
realized. He had likewise gratified some of the less 
noble instincts of his nature ; for he had rewarded his 



46 INTRO DUCTIOIsr. 

worst enemies, and had punished bis best friends, to a 
monstrous and marvelous extent. Why should he desire 
to see the Union broken into fragments, and his own 
name descend to posterity surrounded with the execrable 
distinction of having contributed to destroy that Govern- 
ment which, while it had accomplished many better 
and more commendable things, had also rendered him so 
illustrious and distinguished? The supposition is ex- 
tremely improbable and absurd. 

The Presidential campaign of 1860 presented several 
very remarkable features. It was a four-sided conflict, 
in which almost every shade of political opinion was 
represented by a separate candidate for^ the Presidency. 
The old Democratic party nominated John C. Breckin- 
ridge of Kentucky for that office ; against whom the 
friends of Stephen A. Douglas pitted that talented and 
ambitious statesman. An organization which took the 
name of the Union Party, selected John Bell of Tennes- 
see as their champion ; while the great Eepublican party, 
buoyant with confidence and hope, nominated Abraham 
Lincoln of Illinois as their standard-bearer. It cannot 
be denied that the ultra pro-slavery faction in the South, 
found greater sympathy with their own views in the 
sentiments and policy of Mr. Breckinridge, than in those 
of any other candidate ; and had he been chosen, it is 
probable, perhaps it is certain, that, as in the case of 
Mr. Buchanan's election, the act of Secession would have 
been postponed for a brief period.* 

But such was not destined to be the result. The Ee- 

* Tlie division of the Democratic party by the friends of Mr. 
Douglas, and his nomination to the Presidency, thereby insuring 
the election of Mr. Lincoln, may be regarded as having exerted a 
powerful influence, though innocently and indirectly, in precipita- 
ting the outbreak of this pre-destined Rebellion. 



INTRODUCTION. • 47 

publican party entered into the struggle with the resolute 
determination to leave no fair means untried to attain 
success. In vain was it urged against them that they 
were a sectional party, that they were an abolition 
party, that they were a disunion party. To the first 
charge they answered that, to call them sectional, was 
mQTQly ii petitio prineipii ; because it yet remained to be 
demonstrated at the ballot-box, whether they were sec- 
tional : if they elected their candidate by a constitutional 
majority, they could not be a sectional party, but the 
party of the majority of the whole nation. To the second 
charge, that they were an abolition party, they answered 
by a direct traverse or denial; and they supported that 
denial by the assertion that no abolition sentiment could 
be found in the Philadelphia or the Chicago platform, 
and that no representative man of the party, who was 
authorized to speak for them, was, or could be called, an 
Abolitionist. Because indeed a few Abolitionists chose to 
vote for their candidate, that fact did not make the whole 
party Abolitionists, any more than, because some Free- 
masons voted for him, that did not make the whole party 
Masonic. To the third charge, that they favored dis- 
union, they replied that they supported the Constitution 
and the laws ; that they would never secede from the 
Union ; that in fact they would fight for it to the last 
extremity ; that if they gained the control of the adminis- 
tration, it should only be by constitutional means ; and 
that they would then administer it only in accordance 
with the settled and lawful machinery of the Govern- 
ment. 

The event proved that the greater portion of the 
nation was with the Eepublican party. Mr. Lincoln 
was elected by a decisive majority. He was a person 
every way worthy of the high position to which he was 



48 INTRODUCTION. 

elevated. He was a man of the people ; the architect of 
his own fortune ; accustomed to hardship, to vicissitude, 
to triumph ; familiar with the laws and Constitution of 
his country ; eminent as a prudent and practical states- 
man ; with a character not only free from every stain, 
but adorned by many great and rare virtues. His elec- 
tion to the Presidency at once capped the climax of that 
long train of unspeakable wrongs and outrages which 
the chivalrous South had suffered with such exemplary 
patience during so many years, from the Northern portion 
of the Union ! There was an extreme and an excess of 
injury, however, which transcended the limits of even 
Southern patriotism and endurance, and that extreme 
had at last been perpetrated ! 

III. We stated at the beginning, that the third cause 
which led to the Southern Eebellion, was the assertion 
of the supremacy of State Eights in opposition to the 
policy of Federal Centralization. Before concluding this 
Introduction, it may be proper to dwell briefly on that 
point. 

The seceding States affirmed their privilege to with- 
draw from the Union on the ground that each individual 
State possesses the right to take back and recall from the 
National Government those powers which it delegated to 
it when the Union was formed, thus resuming its own 
isolated position and sovereign functions ; and that each 
State possesses this right, separately, at any time, when 
it may think itself aggrieved. Never was a greater ab- 
surdity uttered. If indeed the separate States possessed 
any such right, then each State would in reality be para- 
mount to the Federal Government, and the idea of 
Federal consolidation becomes an impalpable phantom 
and a visionary myth. But that no State which once 
formed a part of this Union possesses, or can possibly 



INTRODUCTION". 



49 



possess, any such prerogative, is evident from the follow- 
ing considerations : 

The Federal Grovernment was established, not by the 
States as such, individually, but hy the people of tit e whole 
collection of States. The Constitution was framed and 
adopted by those who expressly called themselves " The 
People." Therefore it is the people of the entire Union 
only who possess the right to dissolve the Federal Gov- 
ernment, if, in any case, they feel disposed, for good and 
sufficient reasons, so to do. This cardinal doctrine was 
plainly acknowledged by the very men who adopted the 
Federal Constitution. Among other declarations of a 
similar character, we may cite the language of Virginia, 
uttered when she gave her adhesion to the General 
Government. She then declared that "the powers 
granted under the Constitution, being derived from the 
people of the United States, may be resumed by them, 
whenever the same shall be perverted to their injury or 
oppression." In this statement no allusion is made to 
the reserved and sovereign right of the individual States 
to withdraw. When the people of the seceding States 
became integral portions of the Federal Government, 
they bound themselves, as a part of the grand aggregate 
of the people, to support it, unless, as a gravid aggregate, 
they should become convinced that their interests would 
be promoted by its dissolution. 

The Federal Government was established on this basi^, 
not only for those who framed it, but with the express un- 
derstanding and covenant that its provisions should benefit 
and should bind with equal force those who came after 
them. The makers of it declared that they established 
it "for themselves and their posterity." Whatever obli- 
gation, therefore, bound the party of the first part attached 
inevitably to the party of the second part. Botli live 



50 INTRODUCTION. 

under the same conditions, and are controlled by the 
same duties. If the separate States which established 
the National Government could not as States secede, 
neither could their descendants or legal representatives 
secede ; for the latter could inherit and possess no pre- 
rogatives which the former did not possess. That those 
who framed the Constitution never intended that any- 
individual State as such should claim the right to with- 
draw from the -Union is evident from the significant fact 
that they made no provision in the Constitution itself for 
such a process. There is no clause in that instrument 
which designates the way in which a State shall secede. 
If those who framed the Federal Government intended 
that either themselves or their descendants should possess 
the right, as separate States, to withdraw, they would 
undoubtedly have provided for the exercise of so impor- 
tant and so fundamental a function. 

Those who established the Federal Government ex- 
pressly condemned this doctrine of State supremacy. 
They say, " This Constitution shall be the supreme law 
of the land, any thing in the Constitution or laws of a 
State to the contrary notwithstanding." No assertion 
could possibly be plainer. This clause declares in sub- 
stance that the people who established the Federal 
Government organized it for themselves and for their 
posterity ; that they went into the Union for the purpose 
of forming component parts of one grand organic political 
structure, intended for permanent and perpetual duration ; 
.and they teach that, should any State imdertake to pass 
laws, or even to adopt a Constitution, which shall in any 
way conflict with the provisions already contained in the 
Federal Constitution, and in opposition to this purpose, 
they shall be null and void. Thus, therefore, if any 
State as a State, or the people of a single State, shall pass 



INTKODUCTIOIT. 51 

a law in favor of Secession, and against the supremacy 
of the National Government, that law is ipso facto null 
and void. Now, those States which seceded approved 
of this clause in the Federal Constitution by their own 
representatives in Congress assembled at that time. 
It therefore binds them and their descendants forever ; 
and the act of secession by any State is, by their own 
provisions and solemn stipulations, a fraud and a viola- 
tion of the law which they themselves had sanctioned. 

Those who asserted that the Southern States, or any 
other portion of the Union, have a right to secede on the 
ground that the Union is a mere compact or partnership 
between the several States, may be answered and con- 
demned out of their own mouths. Let us admit, for the 
sake of argument, that the Federal Grovernment is a mere 
partnership, what then ? It necessarily follows that, in 
order to dissolve it legally and rightfully, the process 
must be accomplished precisely as all other partnerships 
are dissolved. According to the established principles 
of municipal law there are four processes by which a 
partnership may be dissolved. The first is by the death 
of one of the contracting parties. The second is by the 
expiration of the time for which the partnership was 
entered into. The third, where no definite period was 
specified, during which the partnership should continue, 
by the mutual consent of all the parties to the contract. 
The fourth is, where such general consent has not been 
obtained, by giving previous notice to all the parties in 
interest of an intention to withdraw, and by making a 
full and final settlement of all the accounts existing 
between those involved in the partnership. 

Now, in the present instance, none of these essential 
conditions were complied with. No one of the parties 
who formed the alleged partnership of the Federal 



52 INTRODUCTION, 

Government was extinct.. The period of time for wliicli 
the alleged partnership was entered into had not expired, 
because no particular period had ever been specified. 
There remained, therefore, the third condition — the 
unanimous consent of all the parties to the compact. 
But that consent was not given ; it was refused pertina- 
ciously and clamorously by twenty-three partners out of 
thirty-four, and those twenty-three were the parties who 
had furnished nine tenths of the capital, who had borne 
three fourths of the expense of the concern, and who had 
always derived the least profit from its operations. Lastly, 
no previous legal notice had been given of an intention 
to withdraw ; nor had any provision been made for a full 
and final adjustment of the accounts and interests exist- 
ing between the various members of the alleged partner- 
ship. If then the Federal Government were a mere 
compact, where was the right of the rebel States to secede 
as they did? By their own showing, theii* act was 
illegal ; it was a public and national fraud ; it was a 
violation of law and order. It was as unjustifiable as 
their subsequent repudiation of the debts which they 
owed the citizens of the North, for almost every com- 
modity which promotes the comfort, refinement, and 
civilization of human society. 

The secession of one or more States from the Union, 
in this illegal manner, was unjustifiable in another point 
of view. When the people who established the Federal 
Government ceded certain sovereign powers to it, which 
they would otherwise have enjoyed and exercised under 
their separate State Governments, they did it with the 
implied pledge that they should receive in exchange 
therefor the benefits of a permanent nationality, which 
would result from the greater power and influence 
invested in and exercised by a General Government. 



INTUODUCTION. 53 

That nationality is destroyed, and the benefits once con- 
ferred by it are lost, by the secession of a single State. 
Therefore the State which thus secedes inflicts an in- 
calculable injury on the rest of the community. What 
nation was more respected throughout the world, what 
flag was more honored as it floated majestically in every 
clime under heaven, than that of the " United States of 
North America?" There was a grandeur and glory 
associated with that name; bright recollections of the 
past, glowing visions of the future, inspiring thoughts of 
freedom, prosperity, enterprise, clustered around it, which 
invested it with deathless interest. Despots trembled in 
the recesses of their palaces, the people everywhere 
shouted with exultation and joy, when they heard it 
repeated. What was the cause of this ? It was because 
the nation was then a unit. Uunion fait la force. But 
now, because the nation was divided, its glory departed ; 
it became a laughing stock to tyrants ; and the friends 
of humanity and rational freedom in every land sighed 
with regret at the lamentable spectacle. This result 
produced by the act ' of Secession, which inflicted an 
incalculable injury upon those who were entitled to 
benefits. But the seceding States had also themselves 
enjoyed advantages from the same source in a^ preeminent 
degree; they were bound, therefore, both by gratitudt^ 
and by interest, to preserve the Union intact and per- 
petual. 

There was but one answer to these arguments, and that 
answer is an absurdity. It was asserted by the advocates 
of secession that, having no longer the majority in Con- 
gress, they could no longer mould the laws so as thereby 
to promote their own interests ; and especially that they 
could not obtain the admission of new Territories into 
the Ujiion with slavery expressly protected and allowed 



54 INTRODUCTION. 

in tliera. People from the free States, they said, could 
convey their various kinds of property, to those new 
Territories, and could have their titles thereto protected ; 
but emigrants from the Southern States could not remove 
their slaves thither and retain possession of them ; hence, 
it was high time to secede. The answer is: that the 
Southern States themselves assisted in establishing those 
very laws by which a certain definite majority rules in 
the National Legislature. They approved of those laws 
and obeyed them, as long as they operated to their own 
benefit and promoted their own aggrandizement. But 
if, in the course of time, the South lost the majority 
which the Constitution requires, and with that majority 
the controlling power, were they justified in repudiating 
the Government which they had helped to construct, and 
had sworn to support? On the contrary, they were 
obligated as men of honor, honesty and veracity, to 
accept the legitimate consequences of their own free and 
deliberate acts. 



CHAPTEE I, 

EFFECT OF MR. LINCOLN'S ELECTION IN THE SOUTH — POLITICAL MOVE- 
MENTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA EXCITEMENT IN CHARLES- 
TON PRELIMINARY ACTS AND EVENTS RESIGNATION OP FEDERAL 

OFFICERS ELECTION OF MEMBERS TO THE STATE CONVENTION OPPO- 
NENTS OF SECESSION ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS FEDERAL PROPERTY 

SEIZED IN CHARLESTON — CONVENTIONS SUMMONED IN GEORGIA AND 

ALABAMA ASSEMBLING OF THE CONVENTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA 

THE FIRST ACT OF SECESSION FROM THE UNION PASSED — A PATHETIC 

STATEMENT OF GRIEVANCES SECESSION LOGIC REFLECTIONS ON THE 

RESULT POPULAR FEELINGS AT THIS TIME IN GEORGIA, ALABAMA, 

MISSISSIPPI AND FLORIDA LEVITY AND RECKLESSNESS OF THE SECES- 
SION LEADERS. 

On the 6th of November, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was 
chosen President of the United States, receiving the 
votes of seventeen States, or of one hundred and eighty 
electors out of three hundred and three. As soon as the 
unwelcome intelligence was conveyed by telegraphic 
flashes to South Carolina and Georgia, an ebullition of 
intense indignation and disgust instantly burst forth 
throughout the length and breadth of those' ancient com- 
munities. How quickly and promptly they were pre- 
pared to assume the attitude of rebels against the Federal 
Government, was demonstrated by the significant fact, 
that, on the very day after the one on which the general 
election was held, resolutions wer(s adopted by both 
branches of the Legislature of Soutli Carolina, then as- 
sembled at Columbia, in favor of calling a convention 
of the people of the State to act upon the question of 
Secession, to re-organize the militia, and to prepare for 

(55) 



56 A HISTORY OF 

military operations. There seemed to be so settled a 
determination among the politicians and representatives 
of that State to assume the part which they afterward 
enacted, that very little preliminary deliberation was 
necessary to fit them for decisive measures. 

Nor were the leaders of popular opinion in South 
Carolina much in advance of their confederates in the 
neighboring State of Georgia. On the 8th of November 
a large meeting of the prominent citizens of Savannah 
was held in that city, who adopted resolutions admitting 
the necessity and commending the policy of Secession. 
Great enthusiasm prevailed in the assembly, which 
passed without a dissenting voice, a series of resolutions 
which set forth, that the election of Lincoln and Hamlin 
was an outrage which " ought not and will not be sub- 
mitted to ;" that a petition be sent to the Legislature, 
then in session at Milledgeville, desiring them to co- 
operate with the Governor of the State in calling a con- 
vention of the people to determine on measures of re- 
dress ; that the Legislature be requested to pass laws to 
meet the commercial crisis which impended, and organize 
and arm the forces of the Commonwealth ; and that the 
senators and representatives of Georgia in the Federal 
Congress be duly informed of these transactions. The 
spirit of rebellion and disaffection spread with the utmost 
rapidity throughout the State. The ancient colonial flag 
of Georgia was unfurled, and flung to the breeze at 
Savannah ; and an immense assemblage, convened at 
Augusta on the same day, commenced active operations 
by enrolling a corps of minute men. 

Notwithstanding these spirited measures elsewhere, 
the city of Charleston seemed determined to achieve and 
to retain the first place in the inglorious enterprise of 
Secession. On the 8th of November the time-honored 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 57 

Stars and Stripes, which had so long waved in graceful 
splendor over the Federal edifices in Charleston, were dis- 
placed ; and the Palmetto flag substituted in their stead. 
The leading officers of the Federal Government, the 
District Attorney, the Collector of the Port, and the 
Deputy Collector, resigned their several positions, and 
duly notified Mr. Buchanan, who still occupied the 
White House, of that important and calamitous event. 
Their example was soon followed by less insignificant 
personages. On the 10th of the month Mr. Chesnut 
resigned his seat in Congress, as senator from South 
Carolina. The Legislature then adopted a resolution 
appointing the eighth of the ensuing January as the 
period for the election of delegates to the Convention, 
which was to determine the future action of the State 
in reference to Secession ; and they designated the 15th 
of January as the date of its assembling. 

These events were the natural and necessary prelimi- 
naries to the great revolutionary movement which was 
destined soon to follow. But it is worthy of remark, 
that at this early period of the process, the politicians of 
South Carolina, and the citizens of that State whom they 
controlled so despotically, either by fear, or by convic- 
tion, or by delusion, were unanimous in th^ir support of 
the policy of rebellion ; whereas no such unanimity ex- 
isted at that time in the other Seceding States. Thus, 
on the 10th of November, a conservative meeting was 
held at Augusta, Georgia, composed of very respectable 
citizens, and presided over by the Mayor ; which adopted 
resolutions setting forth that, living as the people did 
under a government of law and order, it was their duty, 
if they felt that they suffered from the infliction of 
grievances, to seek redress for them only by legal and 
constitutional means. But their words of prudence and 



53 , A HISTORY OF 

monition were like the -voice of one calling in the wilder- 
ness ; or rather like the sound of a gentle whisper amid 
the roar and thunder of a furious tempest sweeping over 
the deep, unheard and unheeded by those around them. 
The feeling in favor of Secession gradually became pre- 
dominant throughout the States of South Carolina and 
Georgia ; and it was confidently asserted, that before the 
period arrived for the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln, Ala- 
bama, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas, would have united 
their fortunes with those of the two leading States. The 
latter had already gone too far to recede; they felt that the 
confidence and respect of the Union were now lost to 
them ; and they had but one course left, to persevere to 
the end in the ignominious career which they had begun. 
At this stage of the Eebellion there was much doubt 
in the minds of several distinguished statesmen of 
Georgia as to the propriety and the policy of Secession. 
The most eminent of these was Alexander H. Stephens, 
who then held a high place in the estimation of the 
whole nation, for his undoubted talents, and his prudent, 
conservative disposition. At this period he opposed 
Secession with earnestness ; and stated his solemn convic- 
tion, that the act would be injurious and pernicious to 
the South in every respect. He contended that the ad- 
vocates of slavery would be able to protect their rights 
much more ef&ciently while in the Union than when out 
of it ; and of the veracity and wisdom of this opinion 
there could be no possible doubt. But soon it became 
known that he had begun to waver in his position ; and 
the hope was entertained by the Secessionists that he 
might be won over to their cause. Whether it was the 
bribe of the profiered ofiice of the Vice Presidency of the 
new Confederacy about to be created, or whether it was the 
result of further and deeper research into the supposed 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 59 

interests of the South ; or whether he had become con- 
vinced that it was useless to resist the overwhelming tide 
which he saw rushing around him on every hand, we <■ 
pretend not to say. But it was soon announced that the 
ablest statesman of Georgia, who had spoken so clearly, 
decisively and boldly in defence of the Union, had at 
length abandoned that honorable position, and had de- 
clared himself in doubt on the subject of Secession. 
This event greatly elated and encouraged those who had 
at one time despaired of his co-operation, and had feared 
his resistance to their enterprise. 

Further acts of hostility to the General Government 
continued to be perpetrated at Charleston. On the 13th 
of November, a company of South Carolina troops took 
possession of the United States Arsenal near that city. 
At Columbia the Legislature passed a bill authorizing 
the organization of ten regiments, containing a thousand 
men each, for defence against the forces of the Federal 
Government, should the latter attempt to coerce the State 
into obedience to Federal authority. Soon afterward a 
public meeting was held in Institute Hall in Charleston, for 
the purpose of receiving the members of the State Legis- 
lature, who had returned from Columbia. An immense 
crowd assembled ; resolutions were passed commending 
these functionaries for their conduct in reference to 
Secession ; and addresses were delivered by leading 
citizens in favor of the policy of withdrawing from the 
Union. The enthusiasm became still more intense when 
it was announced that Messrs. Toombs, Iverson, Howell 
Cobb, and Herschel. V. Johnson, of Georgia, had made 
known their determination to aid the cause of Disunion. 
Meetings were then held in all the districts and parishes 
of South Carolina, in which the justice and necessity of 
Secession were earnestly defended by popular speakers, 



60 A HISTORY OF 

who tbus impressed that doctrine more fully and deeply 
upon the minds of the people. 

, At this period the attention of the citizens of South 
Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, was chiefly occupied in 
the selection of delegates to the Conventions, who were 
to decide the action of those States in reference to the 
subject of Secession. The ablest men in the community 
were chosen for that important function — in South Caro- 
lina, Senators Hammond and Chesnut, Messrs. Khett, 
Barnwell, Memminger, Keitt ; in Georgia and Alabama, 
Messrs. William L. Yancey, T. H. Watts, Toombs and 
Cobb. The prevalent feeling among the great majority 
of those chosen by all these States was in favor of Seces- 
sion ; so that little doubt existed in the public mind in 
reference to the policy which they would ultimately 
adopt when they met and acted in an ofi&cial capacity. 
Meanwhile, financial difficulties began to oppress the 
mercantile community. As soon as the other portions 
of the National Confederacy discovered the prevalence 
of the Secession sentiment, they lost confidence in the 
integrity and capability of those who advocated it. No 
longer were the drafts of the merchants of the seceding 
States honored at the North ; no longer were their bank 
notes received as a circulating medium beyond their own 
borders, except at a heavy and ruinous discount. 
Already did the Secessionists commence to feel the in- 
jurious effects of the loss of public confidence. The 
banks of those States were constrained to suspend the 
payment of specie; and business of all descriptions 
became more depressed and stagnant than had ever been 
the case before. This was, however, but the beginning 
of evils, which did not in the least degree diminish the 
treasonable and suicidal zeal of the Secessionists. 

The Convention who were selected by the people of 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 61 

South Carolina to determine upon the question of Seces- 
sion, met at Columbia on the 17th of December, 1860. 
It is recorded that, at the moment when this body 
assembled, several signs of indignant nature were ex- 
hibited, which an ancient Greek or Eoman would have 
asserted superstitiously, to have indicated and foreboded 
the wrath of the gods at the act about to be perpetrated. 
A heavy fog of unusual dampness and thickness hung 
over the city, enveloping every thing in gloom and dark- 
ness. At the same time, the fearful ravages of the small- 
pox struck terror into the hearts both of strangers and 
citizens. Undeterred, however, by these sinister omens, 
the Convention assembled at noon ; General Jamison was 
chosen temporary chairman ; the names of the delegates 
were enrolled, and the Convention was organized. At a 
subsequent election for permanent ofl&cers, the same 
gentleman was again elected President. So overpowered 
was he by his feelings of gratitude, when he rose to thank 
the Convention for the exalted honor conferred upon him, 
that, having uttered a few incoherent and absurd re- 
marks, he concluded by declaring, with perfect truth: 
" I can't say any thing ; I can't express ray feelings" — 
and resumed his seat amid the sympathy of the audience. 
One of the first and most prudent acts of the Convention 
was to remove its sessions from Columbia to Charleston, 
in consequence of the prevalence and virulence of the 
small-pox. Hon. Howell Cobb was present as Com- 
missioner from Alabama ; Messrs. Elmore and Hooker 
were the Commissioners from Mississippi. 

When the Convention re-assembled at Charleston on 
the 18th of December, its first achievement was to appoint 
a committee to prepare and report a Secession Ordinance, 
together with a Declaration of Independence, Lawrence 
M. Keitt, one of the most violent and rabid of Southern 



62 A HISTOEY OF 

agitators, was selected as the cTiairman of this Com- 
mittee. At the same time Mr. Ehett offered a resolu- 
tion, which was adopted with great unanimity, to the 
effect that a committee be appointed to provide for the 
assembling of a Convention of all the seceding States, for 
the purpose of forming a Constitution, and establishing 
a new Confederacy. It was on the 20th of December 
that South Carolina consummated her treason and her 
disgrace by finally adopting the Ordinance of Secession.* 
When the ballot was taken upon the passage of this 
ordinance, it was sustained and approved by an unani- 
mous vote. Out of one hundred and sixty -nine members, 
not a single dissenting voice was heard in favor of the 
glorious and time-honored Union. As soon as the action 
of the Convention was communicated to the populace in 
the streets, loud and long acclamations rent the air. It 
was ordered by the Convention that the momentous and 
decisive act which had just been performed should be 
communicated by telegraph to the representatives of 
South Carolina in Congress ; and provision was made for 
engrossing the ordinance, and for its signature by all the 
members of the Convention, with great pomp and 
ceremony at Institute Hall. 

* Tills document was as follows : " An Ordinance to Dissolve the 
Union between the State of South Carolina and other States united with 
her under the comptct entitled the Constitution of the United States of 
America: 

''We, tlie people of tlie State of South Carolina, in Convention 
assembled, do declare and ordain, and it is hereby declared and or- 
dained, that the ordinance adopted by us in Convention, on tlie 23d 
day of May, in tbe year of our Lord 17SS, whereby the Constitution 
of the United States of America was ratified, and also all acts and 
parts of acts of the General Assembly of this State ratifying the 
amendments of the said Constitution, are hereby repealed, and that 
the union now subsisting between South Carolina and other States 
under the name of the United States of America is hereby dissolved. ' ' 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 63 

Subsequent to the passage of this memorable act, a 
discussion ensued in the Convention in reference to the 
new position and responsibilities thus assumed by South 
Carolina. It was asserted that, by the adoption of that 
ordinance, no person within the limits of the State 
possessed, or could exercise, any authority which he had 
previously derived from the Federal Government. There 
was no Collector of the Port, no Postmaster, no United 
States Judge, or Attorney, or Marshal ; and it would 
become necessary to appoint other officers in their stead. 
One member boasted that at last, after a struggle of forty 
years, there was no man in the State who dared to col- 
lect the revenues, of the Federal Government. It was 
asserted by another, and the whole Convention seemed 
to sympathize intensely with the remark, that great care 
should be taken in the measures which were adopted ; 
because nothing should be done which might affect the 
dignity, honor, and glory of South Carolina, There was 
a difference of opinion, however, among the assembled 
wisdom, whether the passage of the ordinance of Seces- 
sion abrogated all, or only some, of the laws of the United 
States within the limits of South Carolina. It was an 
argument which could not be answered, that the legal 
tender in the State must remain gold and silver ; and 
what gold and silver could there be, except such as bore 
the stamp and the superscription of the Federal Govern- 
ment ? That conclusive consideration settled the point, 
that South Carolina could not as yet wholly ignore the 
existence of the Government of the United States of 
North America They must for the present allow that 
Government at least a quasi existence. And so indeed 
they generously did. They agreed still to permit the 
Federal Government to spend money at the rate of a 
million per annum in carrying the mails through the 



L_- 



84 'A HISTOEY OF 

seceding States. It was finally settled tliat tlie spirit of 
the Ordinance must be observed, until they could treat 
with the General Government in regard to the further 
adjustment of details. 

On the 22d of December, the Committee of the Con- 
vention which had been appointed to prepare an address 
to the Southern States, for the purpose of obtaining their 
co-operation and sympathy, reported. The chairman 
read an elaborate declaration of the causes which existed, 
and which they regarded as sufiicient justification for 
Secession. It set forth, inter alia, that the Federal 
Government had signally failed to perform its duty 
toward the slave-holding States ; especially in regard to 
the matter of executing the fourth article of the Federal 
Constitution, which provided that persons held to service 
and labor in one State, and fleeing to another, should be 
delivered up on the demand of the party to whom such 
service or labor was due. It declared that all the 
Northern, and many of tl;ie Western States, had passed 
laws within their respective limits which effectually 
nullified this provision of the Federal Constitution; that 
some States had resisted the right of transit for slaves in 
the custody of their masters ; that others had directly 
refused to surrender to justice fugitives charged with 
murder ; and that in one or two States, slaves were pro- 
tected by the connivance of ministers of the law, from 
the power and grasp of their owners, who had pursued, 
had overtaken, and had demanded their property. It 
added that, in view of these great and unspeakable out- 
rages on the Federal Constitution, and on the rights of 
the South, it was time that the slave States should with- 
draw from a compact in which the legitimate ends con- 
templated by its establishment were defeated. To incense 
the South still more, it was asserted that the free States 



THE SOUTHERlSr REBELLION. 65 

had been guilty of the immeasurable impudence and 
presumption of assuming to decide upon the propriety 
of their domestic institutions ; to denounce as sinful the 
sacred institution of slavery; to establish societies among 
themselves whose express object it should be to disturb 
the peace and injure the property of the South, by 
enticing their slaves away from their homes, and by 
inciting those who remained to commit acts of rebellion 
and servile insurrection. 

This extraordinary document enumerated other causes 
of complaint against the North, which must indeed deeply 
move the sympathy of the universe. It declared that 
this malignant spirit, so hostile to the interests of the 
South, had continued its restless and pernicious agita- 
tions for twenty-five years, until at last it had secured a 
supremacy in the Federal Government. Aggravated, 
therefore, as former injuries had been, the future promised 
others still more insufferable. At this stage of the argu- 
ment, a specimen of South Carolina logic was introduced 
which presented an astonishing instance of dialectical 
skill. It was asserted that a sectional party had obtained 
control of the Federal Government, while, however, it 
had observed all the forms of the Constitution in so doing. 
It will remain an impene^able mystery to all rational 
beings out of the seceding States, how a party can be 
sectional whose operations are carried on in strict accord- 
ance with the forms and provisions of the Federal 
Constitution, and yet is so powerful, both in force and in 
numbers, as to exceed every other party, and obtain a 
supremacy over all competitors in strict accordance with' 
the provisions of that same Constitution. We may 
answer, that the triumphant party was either sectional or 
it Avas not. If it were sectional, then the National 
Government must also be sectional. If the Government 
5 



66 A HISTOKY OF 

was not sectional, then the triumphant party could not 
have been sectional. Bat the National Government is 
not sectional, according to the admission of the Seces- 
sionists themselves. Therefore, the party which, by 
legal and constitutional means, cotild and did obtain 
control of that unsectional Government, could not 
possibly have itself been sectional. 

But as South Carolina had a logic of its own, so also 
had it a policy peculiar to itself. After the passage of 
the ordinance of Secession, the Convention resolved that, 
until otherwise provided, the Governor of the State 
should be authorized to appoint collectors and other 
officers connected with the Customs for the several ports 
of the State, postmasters, and other necessary persons, 
instead of the Federal functionaries who had been 
displaced. The oath to be administered to those persons 
appointed for that purpose was prepared and enjoined. 
It was as follows: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that 
I will be faithful and true in the allegience I bear to 
South Carolina, so long as I may continue a citizen 
thereof; and that I am duly qualified according to the 
Constitution of this State to exercise the duties of the 
office to which I have been appointed ; and will, to the 
best of my ability, discharge the duties of the office, and 
preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this 
State. So help me God." 

Thus the Rubicon was at length passed, and Secession 
became a stern yet absurd reality. When the news of 
this event was conveyed to different portions of the 
Union, it produced in different localities the most 
opposite effects. The inhabitants of the free States, both 
in the East, in the West, and in the centre, received the 
intelligence with mingled surprise and disgust. They 
regarded it as an evidence of the amazing stupidity, 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 67 

obstinacy, and malignity of the people of Soutli Caro- 
lina; who, without any cause or excuse, except such 
as must excite the derision of all intelligent people, had 
dissolved their connection with a gWrious and beneficent 
Government, and had plunged themselves into all the 
inevitable horrors of political chaos and ruin. It was 
evidently a case illustrative of the familiar maxim: 
Quern Deus vult ]^eTdere, priusquam dementat. Even 
that party in the North from whom the Secessionists had 
confidently expected to receive sympathy and comfort, 
the former advocates of Southern interests, disappointed 
them in this respect ; and joined heartily in the general 
chorus of censure and condemnation which resounded 
throughout the land. The border slave States regarded 
the event with suspicion and apprehension, and sent no 
message of encouragement or congratulation. It was 
only in those States which had already expressed their 
approval of Secession that any sympathy with the policy 
of South Carolina was expressed or exhibited — in Georgia, 
Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. It is not impossible 
that this grand and prominent isolation in evil and in 
ignominy, may have flattered the vanity and strengthened 
the determination of that State, which has always been 
so remarkable and eminent for patriotism, and for that 
extreme modesty which is invariably an accompaniment 
of superior merit ! They had already accomplished what 
was probably the chief motive of the movement — they 
had attracted to themselves the attention of the entire 
nation ; and they flattered themselves, doubtless, that 
soon they would be the object of the admiring scrutiny 
of the whole world. That eminence would indeed be an 
ample compensation for all that they would be called 
upon to suffer and to sacrifice in the future ; and they 



68 A HISTORY OF 

therefore might select for their motto that other maxim: 
Post nubila Phoebus. 

Nevertheless, he who carefully considers the circum- 
stances which attencted this important event will be sur- 
prised at a singular and anomalous peculiarity connected 
with it. He will observe that, in this instance, the most 
sacred of all political relations, involving in its embrace 
other ties more tender, other associations more solemn 
still, was ruptured with a degree of thoughtlessness, of 
exultation even, which indicated the mastery of malignant 
passions, and the presence of callous hearts. The jictors 
in this melancholy drama, as they went forth from their 
ancestral homes and their ancient associates, sent no 
words of kind farewell, they uttered no parting benediction 
to those wdth whom they had been so long donnected, 
and from whose society they thus tore themselves. They 
made no allusion to past eventful incidents, to storms 
which, in other and happier times, they had nobly 
breasted should'er to shoulder ; to scenes of sadness, where 
their gushing tears had mingled in one hallowed stream ; 
to fields of glory, where they had joined in common 
struggles and had achieved united triumphs. In that 
dark hour they seemed unconscious of the real extent of 
the peril, the disaster, and the disgrace, which, in the 
impartial judgment of the civilized world, they thereby 
brought upon themselves. True' patriots, disinterested 
philanthropists, and wise statesmen, do not disport them- 
selves with such levity in the great crisis of human 
responsibility and destiny. It was indeed a spectacle 
calculated to excite the pity of the wise and good of all 
lands and ages. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



69 



CHAPTER II. 



TREASONABLE PROCLAMATION OF GOVERNOR PICKENS — RESIGNATION OP 
THE REPRESENTATIVES OF SOUTH CAROLINA IN CONGRESS THE CRIT- 
TENDEN PROPOSITIONS OF COMPROMISE — THEIR PROVISIONS SCRAMBLE 

FOR FEDERAL PROPERTY — COMMISSIONERS OF SOUTH CAROLINA TO THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAJOR ANDERSON — THE REMOVAL OF HIS 

COMMAND TO FORT SUMTER — MR. SECRETARY FLOYD — HIS RESIGNATION 
— DEMEANOR OF THE REBEL COMMISSIONERS AT WASHINGTON — THE 

CONVENTION OF THE 8LAVEH0LDING STATES IMPORTANT EVENTS AT 

SAVANNAH SECESSION OF MISSISSIPPI PERNICIOUS INFLUENCE OP 

JEFFERSON DAVIS — RESIGNATION OF U18 SEAT IN THE UNITED STATES 
SENATE — THE SECESSION OF ALABAMA — OF FLORIDA, GEORGIA, LOUISI- 
ANA, AND TEXAS. 

On the twenty-fourtli of December, 1860, Governor 
Pickens, of South Carolina, issued a proclamation setting 
forth that the State, having seceded from the Federal 
Union, was thenceforth an independent and sovereign 
community ; and as such had the right to levy war, to 
conclude peace, to negotiate treaties, and to do all other 
acts whatsoever which appertain to a free and indepen- 
dent government. On the same day, the representatives 
of that State in Congress — Messrs, McQueen, Bonhara, 
Boyce, and Ashmore — addressed a letter to the Speaker 
of the House, containing the resignation of their respec- 
tive posts. That document was as follows: "We avail 
ourselves of the earliest opportunity, since the official 
communication of the intelligence, of making known to 
your honorable body that the people of the State of 
South Carolina, in their sovereign capacity, have resumed 
the power heretofore delegated by them to the Federal 



70 A HISTORY OF 

Governmeut of tlie United States, and have thereby 
dissolved our connection with the House of Eepresenta- 
tives. In taking leave of those with whom we have 
been associated in a common agency, we as well as the 
pepple of our commonwealth, desire to do so with a 
feeling of mutual regard and respect for each other — 
cherishing the hope that in our future relations we may 
better enjoy that peace and harmony essential to the 
happiness of a free and enlightened people." 

It was at this period that John J. Crittenden of Ken- 
tucky, came forward in the Senate with his famous 
propositions of compromise, for the purpose, if possible, 
of healing the difficulty. As these propositions possess 
an historical interest and importance, it may be proper 
here to state their principal contents. They provided 
that thenceforth slavery or involuntary servitude, ex- 
cept for crime, of which the party should be duly con- 
victed by process of law, should be prohibited in all the 
territories of the United States lying north of latitude 
thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes; that in all the 
territories south of that latitude, slavery should not be 
interfered with by Congress ; and that when the terri- 
tories north of that line were entitled to admission as 
States to the Union, they should be so admitted, with 
slavery or without it, as their respective inhabitants 
might themselves at that period determine. They also 
provided that Congress should possess no right to 
abolish slavery in the district of Columbia ; they denied 
the same right in the national dockyards and arsenals ; 
they maintained the right of the transit of slaves through 
the free States ; and they proposed, that States in which 
fugitive slaves had been rescued from the possession of 
their masters, when in pursuit of them, should pay the 
value of them to their alleged owners. But the patriotic 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 71 

efforts of Mr. Crittenden, on this occasion, were useless; 
the extreme views held by both the Northern and the 
Southern senators upon the questions involved in his 
compromise, rendered an accommodation utterly im- 
possible. 

The great State of South Carolina having withdrawn 
from the Union, the next thing to be done was, to re- 
move all the monuments of Federal power, and take 
possession of all the Federal property, which existed 
within her limits. It was beneath her dignity to permit 
these to remain before her eyes as mementos of her 
former degradation, as an humble member of the repu- 
diated and rejected General Government. Accordingly, 
the assembled Convention proceeded to select Commis- 
sioners to proceed to Washington as their representa- 
tives, and make a formal demand for these various 
objects of dispute. 

Immediately on their arrival at the seat of Govern- 
ment, the Commissioners announced their presence to 
Mr. Buchanan. In a communication to that functionary, 
Messrs. Barnwell, Adams, and Orr, respectfully yet 
firmly set forth that they had been delegated by the 
State of South Carolina to inform the Federal Govern- 
ment of their withdrawal from the Union;. to negotiate 
in her name upon all such questions as necessarily arose 
in consequence of that act ; and that they were prepared 
to enter upon these negotiations in a friendly spirit, with 
the desire to inaugurate their new relations so as to pro- 
mote the mutual advantage of both parties. They added, 
however, that " the events of the last twenty-four hours 
render such an assurance impossible. We came here the 
representatives of an authority which could, at any time 
within the past sixty days, have taken possession of the 
forts in Charleston harbor, but which, upon pledges 



72 A 'HISTORY OF 

given in a manner that we cannot doubt, determined to 
trust to your honor rather than to its own power. Since 
our arrival here, an officer oi' the United States, acting 
as we are assured not only without, but against your 
orders, has dismantled one fort and occupied another — 
thus altering to a most important extent the condition of 
affiiirs under which we came. Until these circumstances 
are explained in a manner which relieves us of all doubt 
as to the spirit in which these negotiations shall be con- 
ducted, we are forced to suspend ail discussion as to any 
arrangement by ■ which our mutual interests may be 
amicably adjusted. And, in conclusion, we would urge 
upon you the immediate withdrawal of the troops from 
the harbor of Charleston. Under present circumstances 
they are a standing menace which renders negotiation 
impossible, and, as our recent experience shows, threaten 
speedily to bring to a bloody issue questions which ought 
to be settled with temperance and judgment." To this 
address Mr. Buchanan replied evasively ; and his answer 
elicited a lengthy and haughty rejoinder from the Com- 
missioners, Meanwhile, the subject and the destination 
of the forts in Charleston harbor assumed an increasing 
importance. At that period Fort Moultrie was com- 
manded by Major Anderson, under whose orders there 
had been placed a small garrison. 

On the 26th of December that officer transferred his 
command from Fort Moultrie, to the greater and stronger 
fortress of Sumter. This act was one indicating in- 
trepidity, sagacity and skill. Major Anderson thereby 
gained an important advantage over the Secessionists; 
and he received the deserved applause of the nation in 
return. Immediately afterward the troops of South 
Carolina took possession of Fort Moultrie, and thus held 
their first armed position against the Federal Govern- 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 73 

ment. That position was of little service to them, how- 
ever, inasmuch as Major Anderson, before withdrawing 
from it, had spiked the cannon, had burned the gun 
carriages, and had left the works in a mutilated and 
useless condition. Secretary Floyd was greatly incensed 
at the conduct of Major Anderson. Being secretly in 
the service of the Secessionists, he now began more 
openly to advocate their interests in the Federal Cabinet. 
Finding that the voice of public opinion was beginning 
to condemn him with general and harmonious censure, 
he read the following paper to the President in the 
presence of the Cabinet, and afterward resigned his office : 
" It is evident now, from the action of the commander 
of Fort Moultrie, that the solemn pledges of the Govern- 
ment have been violated by Major Anderson. In my 
judgment but one remedy is now left us by which to 
vindicate our honor and prevent civil war. It is in 
vain now to hope for confidence on the part of the people 
of South Carolina in any further pledges as to the action 
of the military. One remedy is left, and that is to with- 
draw the garrison from the harbor of Charleston. I 
hope the President will allow me to make that order at 
once. Tliis order, in my judgment, can alone prevent 
bloodshed and civil war." 

The Commissioners who were sent from South Caro- 
lina to the Federal Government, conducted themselves 
at Washington with such a degree of arrogance as 
effectually to defeat the purpose of conciliation between 
the rival Republics, if any such purpose had been enter- 
tained. Their last communication, addressed to Mr. 
Buchanan, was a singular effusion of combined impu- 
dence and imprudence. They assumed the dictatorial 
tone of masters, and assured the President that he had, 
in effect, compromised his honor by not immediately 



7-i A HISTORY OF 

withdrawing the Federal troops from the forts in the 
harbor of Charleston. They reminded him, also, in 
language which was absurd and ludicrous in itself, that 
" gentlemen of the highest possible public reputation, and 
the most unsullied integrity," had advised him to with- 
draw those troops as a measure due to the claims of peace 
and the continued prosperity to the country. They 
added that the authorities of South Carolina, were fully 
justified in taking possession of that portion of Federal 
property which they had already seized ; and that the 
President should have followed the counsel of Mr. Floyd 
in regard to the disputed matters, as that personage was 
his legitimate adviser in the premises. This assertion 
was erroneous, to use a gentle and courtly phrase ; be- 
cause Mr. Floyd had already become strongly and justly 
suspected for those acts of treason against the Federal 
Government which were afterward clearly and un- 
answerably proved against him. The Commissioners 
also charged, that by approving of the removal of 
Major Anderson's command to Fort Sumter, the United 
States virtually commenced hostilities and declared war 
against the State of South Carolina. This declaration 
was equally false ; because the three forts in the harbor 
of Charleston were exclusively Federal property, erected 
by Federal money, and therefore the Federal Government 
possessed an unquestionable right to transfer its own 
troops to and from its own fortresses precisely as it 
pleased, without involving a menace to any one. They 
concluded by declaring that the Administration, by re- 
fusing to comply with the demands of those whom the 
Commissioners represented, assumed the entire responsi- 
bility of rendering civil war inevitable ; that the State 
of South Carolina accepted the issue ; and they appealed 
to him, "who is the God of Justice as well as the God 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 75 

of Hosts," for the propriety of tlieir conduct. They 
declared that South Carolina would perform the solemn 
and momentous duty which devolved upon her, "hope- 
fully, bravely and thoroughly." They concluded by 
informing the President of the important and calamitous 
fact, that they purposed to return forthwith to Charles- 
ton. However much posterity may condemn the con- 
duct and policy of Mr. Buchanan in reference to the 
Eebellion, he will deserve their commendation for the 
manner in which he treated this extraordinary commu- 
nication. As soon as he became aware of its character 
and contents, he instantly ordered it to be returned to 
those from whom it emanated, without the undeserved 
courtesy of an answer. 

On the 26th of December Mr. Ehett introduced an 
ordinance into the Convention of South Carolina, recom- 
mending the assembling of another Convention, consist- 
ing of representatives from all the slaveholding States. 
This ordinance consisted of six separate clauses. The 
first provided for the summoning of the Convention afore- 
said at Montgomery, Alabama ; whose duty it should be 
to adopt a Constitution for the government of a Southern 
Confederacy. The second clause recommended to the 
slaveholding States the appointment by eaqh State re- 
spectively of as many delegates therefrom as they had 
members in Congress ; and suggesting that the proposed 
Constitution should be voted on by States. The third 
ordained that, as soon as that Constitution should have 
been adopted by the Convention appointed for the pur- 
pose, it should be referred to the Legislatures of all the 
States concerned, for their ultimate discussion and ap- 
proval. The fourth article affirmed that, in the opinion 
of the State of South Carolina, the Federal Constitution 
would form a suitable basis for the Confederacy of South- 



76 A HISTORY OF 

ern States. The fifth clause declared that the Convention 
of South Caroliaa should select eight delegates to repre- 
sent that Commonwealth in the Convention of the South- 
ern States. The last article provided for the election of 
one commissioner from each slaveholding State, whose 
duty it should be to call the attention of the people of 
his State respectively to the duty of complying with the 
provisions of this ordinance, as adopted and recom- 
mended by the Convention of South Carolina. 

This important document had been laid upon the table 
of the Charleston Convention, for the purpose of future 
and more deliberate discussion. On the same day 
another ordinance was adopted, whose purpose was to 
gain the cooperation and aid of the Federal office-holders 
in the Palmetto State to the cause of the Rebellion. It 
enacted, that all citizens of South Carolina who, at the 
period of the passage of the ordinance of Secession, held 
Federal offices within the limits of the State, were thereby 
appointed to have and hold the same offices under the 
new Government, and to receive the emoluments of the 
same until it was otherwise ordered. It also enacted 
that "the revenue and navigation laws of the United 
States being abolished, as regards the Federal Govern- 
ment, they shall, as far as may be applicable, be adopted 
by the State of South Carolina, and executed thenceforth 
as such ; and that all moneys which may thereafter accrue 
under those laws shall, when the salaries and expenses 
of the officials have been duly paid therefrom, be de- 
livered to the Treasurer of South Carolina, and not, as 
heretofore, be paid to the Federal Government." This 
important act concluded by authorizing and commanding 
the officials of the State to " take possession of, and re- 
tain in their custody, all the property and funds of the 
United States which may come within their reach." 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 77 

This ordinance passed the Convention with general 
unanimity. Immediately afterward the Palmetto flag 
was unfurled from the Charleston Post Ofiice, from the 
Custom House, from Fort Moultrie, from Castle Pinck- 
ney, and from the Arsenal. 

It must be admitted that the Charleston Convention 
proceeded in the work of political organization with 
a considerable degree of sagacity and ability. They 
passed ordinances amending the Constitution of the State 
in all those particulars which were rendered necessary 
by the new attitude which she had assumed as an inde- 
pendent sovereignty. They authorized the Governor of 
South Carolina to receive foreign ambassadors, to ap- 
point representatives to foreign courts, to make treaties 
" by and with the advice and consent of the Senate," to 
fill vacancies in the Senate during its recess, to convene 
that body under extraordinary circumstances ; in a word, 
to enact a rOle similar to that of President of the United 
States, as far as the limited circumstances of the case 
would permit. The Convention also adopted laws 
governing the future rights and defining the future quali- 
fications of citizens of the State. 

While these important events were transpiring in 
South Carolina, the political virus was being rapidly and 
efiectually difiased throughout other portions of the 
Union. The Commissioners who had been previously 
appointed by the Convention of that State to proceed to 
each of the slaveholding States, and lay before the Con- 
vsntions which might there assemble the ordinance of 
Secession, and solicit their approval and co-operation, 
had been both diligent and successful in the execution 
of thei!r trust. The new year 1861 was inaugurated at 
Savannah by the seizure of the Federal forts Pulaski and 
Jackson, by order of the authorities of the State of 



78 A HISTORY OF 

Georgia, This example was immediately followed by 
the Executive of Alabama, by whose orders the United 
States Arsenal at Mobile, and Fort Morgan, in the port 
of that city, were taken possession of by the State 
troops. 

The first Southern State which followed in the wake 
of South Carolina in the act of Secession was Mississippi. 
The Convention assembled at Jackson, on the 7th of 
January, and it soon appeared that the prevalent feeling 
among the delegates was in favor of withdrawing from 
the Union. The President, when assuming the duties 
of his office, delivered an address in which he advocated 
that policy in bold and unequivocal language. A com- 
mittee of fifteen was immediately appointed to prepare 
and report an ordinance of Secession, providing for the 
immediate withdrawal of the State from the Federal 
Union, with special reference to the establishment of a 
new Confederacy, to be composed of the Seceding States. 
That committee reported on the 9th inst. Their report 
was wholly in accordance with the prevalent treasonable 
spirit. It was read, briefly discussed, and then adopted 
by a vote of eighty -four yeas to fifteen nays. By this 
precipitate act Mississippi became an outcast from the 
Union. The fifteen delegates who had opposed the ordi- 
nance made several efforts to postpone action in accord- 
ance with its provisions ; but in vain. The torrent of 
opposition was overwhelming. On the next day those 
fifteen appended their signatures to the ordinance, thereby 
making the voice of the Convention unanimous. Then 
the demonstrations of joy on the part of the populace 
were enthusiastic in the extreme.^ The city of Jackson 
was illuminated, and as the news spread from town to 
town, and from village to village, glad shouts of rejoicing 
resounded throughout the State. 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 79 

That State was represented at this period in the 
Federal Senate by an individual who has since achieved 
an unenviable immortality. Jefferson Davis had long 
been known as one of the most violent and extreme ad- 
vocates of Southern and sectional interests ; and thougli 
a man of acknowledged abilities, he had been too closely 
identified with the advocacy of disloyal sentiments to 
have gained the confidence or esteem of the nation. 
As soon as the news arrived at Washington that the 
State which he represented had withdrawn from the 
Union, it was announced that he would resign his seat in 
the Senate, and when so doing would deliver a brief 
address. The occasion would be one of unusual interest ; 
and great curiosity was felt to ascertain how the Senator 
would acquit himself of the difficult and delicate task 
before him. Accordingly he arose at the first conveni- 
ent opportunity, and proceeded, with a tone and manner 
not destitute of solemnity and pathos, to announce, that 
the State which he represented in that august body 
having withdrawn from the Union, it became' his duty to 
resign his seat and his functions in it. He continued by 
reminding those who heard him that he had invariably 
advocated, during the long period of his public political 
career, the right of each State to withdraw from the 
Union whenever she may choose so to do. This right 
was an abstract and paramount one, even where a State 
might not in reality possess any real ground of complaint 
against the Federal Government. But the case became 
stronger, and the right of Secession more undeniable, 
when such a ground of complaint does exist. Such was 
the fact in the present instance. lie held that the slave- 
holding States, and Mississippi among the rest, had 
serious causes of offence against the Federal Government. 
He also asserted that a material difference existed be- 



80 



A HISTORY OF 



tureen Secession and Nullification. The former was a 
total withdrawal from the Union ; the latter was an at- 
tempt to resist the authority of the General Government, 
while the parties so resisting still formed a portion of 
that Government. After dwelling upon these general 
topics he adverted to considerations more personal to 
himself; and in a tone of sympathy and cordiality which 
could scarcely have been expected from his hard and 
stern nature, gave utterance to those feelings' of regret 
which naturally rose within him, at the severance of re- 
lations with which many pleasing and grateful recollec- 
tions would forever be associated in his mind. 

After the delivery of this address Mr. Davis withdrew 
from the Senate chamber amid the adieux of his political 
and personal friends. The example already given by the 
States of South Carolina and Mississippi was quickly 
followed by Alabama. A powerful and malignant 
genius controlled the destinies of that State, and led her 
on to perpetrate the most unfortunate event in her 
history. In the Convention which met at Montgomery, 
William L. Yancey was the leading and commanding 
spirit ; for on the 11th of January the secession ordinance 
was passed by that body. That ordinance was a singular 
and anomalous production. It commenced by asserting 
that the "election of Messrs. Lincoln and Hamlin to the 
two highest executive offices in the Union by a sectional 
party was an insult to the South too great to be borne." 
We cannot refrain from remarking here what a palpable 
absurdity appears upon the very face of this declaration ; 
because" it is self-evident to every calm and clear thinker, 
as we have already asserted, that that party which proved 
itself at the ballot-box to be the most numerous and 
powerful in the whole nation, whichever party that might 
be, could not be called a sectional one ; and whatever 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 81 

other defects it miglit exhibit, it must, in the 'nature 
of the case, be more national and universal than any- 
other. The inhabitants of Alabama generally received 
the news of the secession of the State with immense 
exultation. In the towns, the villages, and the country, 
the wildest excitement prevailed. In Mobile particularly 
the enthusiasm was boundless. Throughout the length 
and breadth of the entire Commonwealth Secession poles j 

were planted. Secession flags were unfurled to the breeze, j 

bands of music brayed forth Secession melodies, Seces- i 

siou cannon thundered, and Secession eloquence re- j 
sounded, in honor of the glorious and propitious event. ! 

The next member of the Union which followed this ! 

ignominious example was Florida. Her apostacy was I 
consummated on the 12th of January. The Convention 
of that State met at Tallahassee, and after a short debate, 
the secession ordinance was passed. It was signed by 
each member of the Convention in one of the porticos of 
the Capitol; and it is recorded that, as eacJi delegate 
appended his name to the instrument, he was hailed with 
cheers, and a salute fired in his honor. Immediately 
afterward the Federal property at Pensacola was seized 
by the Eebcls, with the exception of a single fortress. 
Fort Pickens was then held for the United States by 
Lieutenant Slemmer, who presented so firm and bold a 
resistance to the demands of the Secessionists, that they 
desisted from any hostile demonstration for its acquisition. 

On the 19th of January, 1861, the ordinance of Seces- 
sion was passed in Georgia. The vote stood two hundred 
and eight against eighty-nine. It is worthy of note, that 
prominent among those eighty-nine who opposed this 
inglorious act, not only by their speeches, but by their 
votes, was Alexander H. Stevens, afterward elected Vice 
President of the rebellious Confederacy. This was a rare 
6 



82 A HISTORY OF 

and extreme instance of that inconsistency of conduct and 
principle which is so frequent and prevalent a vice 
among American politicians. This ordinance was re- 
markable for its brevity. The important act of Secession 
was performed by means of an instrument no longer or 
more elaborate than the following : " We, the people of 
the Sate of Georgia, in Convention assembled, do declare 
and ordain, and it is hereby declared and ordained, that 
the ordinances adopted hy the people of the State of 
Georgia in Convention in 1788, whereby the Constitution 
of the United States was assented to, ratified, and adopted, 
and also all acts and parts of acts of the General Assemby 
ratifying and adopting amendments to the said Consti- 
tution, are hereby repealed, rescinded, and abrogated. 
And we do further declare and ordain that the Union 
now subsisting between the State of Georgia and other 
States under the name of the United States, is hereby 
dissolved, and that the State of Georgia is in full posses- 
sion and exercise of all those rights of sovereignty which 
belong and appertain to a free and independent State." 
Immediately after the adoption of this ordinance Fort 
Pulaski was taken possession of by the troops of Georgia, 
acting under the order of the Governor of the State. 

But the catalogue of rebel States was not yet complete. 
On the 28th of January, 1861, the Convention summoned 
in Louisiana passed the secession ordinance. The usual 
process of plunder against the property of the United 
States ensued immediately after the passage of this ordi- 
nance ; and revenue cutters, arsenals, moneys, and other 
effects of the United States, were seized by the orders of 
the Governor of the State. It was not until the 1st of 
February that the last of the States, which at that time 
united their fortunes with the Secessionists, consummated 
the act. On that day Texas withdrew by a vote of her 
Convention, from the Federal Union. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 83 



CHAPTER III. 

VARIOUS EFFORTS MADE FOR COMPROMISE AND SETTLEMENT — CONCILIA- 
TORT MEETINGS HELD IN THE NORTHERN STATES THEIR ULTIMATE 

FAILURE APOSTACY OF ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS — RESIGNATION OF 

THE SOUTHERN REPRESENTATIVES IN THE FEDERAL CONGRESS THE 

REBEL CONGRESS CONVENED AT MONTGOMERY ITS ORGANIZATION — 

ADOPTION OF A PROVISIONAL CONSTITUTION — THE ORGANIZATION OF 
THE SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY — JEFFERSON DAVIS ELECTED PRESIDENT 
— A. H. STEPHENS CHOSEN VICE PRESIDENT — PROPHECIES OF SENATOR 
WIGFALL BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF JEFFERSON DAVIS, OF STE- 
PHENS, OF THE CABINET MINISTERS OF THE SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY, 

MEMMINGER, TOMBS, MALLORY, WALKER, BENJAMIN THE PERSONAL 

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE OFFICERS. 

Notwithstanding the rapidity with which the act of 
Secession had been consummated in so many of the dis- 
affected States, hopes were entertained that a resort to 
arms might yet be averted, and the schism be eventually 
healed. Several efforts were made in Congress to pass 
resolutions so amending the Federal Constitution as to 
satisfy the South. But those efforts failed, for two 
reasons : First, because it was not possible, in the nature 
of things, where such antagonistic interests and principles 
existed, for any amendment to be made to the Constitu- 
tion which would meet the requirements and conscientious 
convictions of honest statesmen on the subject in dispute. 
Secondly, because it was equally impossible, in such a 
case, to propose any amendment which would find favor 
with selfish party leaders, with mercenary politicians, who 
flourish by means of the distinctions and strifes of 
factions, and whose occupation would be utterly gone if 



84 A HISTORY OF 

concord and unanimity prevailed throughout the whole 
country. Hence it was that, during the brief remainder 
of Mr. Buchanan's term of oflB.ce, the several efforts 
which were made in Congress to heal the difl&culty proved 
abortive. 

Other expedients which were adopted elsewhere were 
equally inefl&cient. One of these deserves to be noticed. 
It became the fashion in jnany of the cities of the North 
to hold public meetings, at which resolutions were 
adopted, setting forth how much the inhabitants of the 
free States deprecated the secession of the South ; how 
much they abominated abolitionists and fanatics of every 
description ; how earnestly they desired the South to 
draw a broad and clear distinction between these fanatics 
and the great mass of the conservative people of the 
North ; how much the latter valued the good will and 
the intelligence, which really meant the commerce and 
the trade, of the slave States. These demonstrations, 
instead of accomplishing the end intended by them, 
merely excited the contempt of Southern fanatics, and 
gave the entire population of the Cotton States an undue 
conception of their own importance. If they had not 
been deficient in arrogance before, their vanity became 
greatly exaggerated afterward, in consequence of these 
pusillanimous and mercenary movements at the North. 

As soon as the several States had seceded, many of 
those persons who had, within their respective limits, 
opposed the act on various grounds, gradually yielded to 
the pressure of the prevalent sentiments hostile to the 
North, changed their position, and gave in their adhesion 
to the opponents of the Union. The most extraordinary 
instance of such conversion was that of Alexander H. 
Stephens of Georgia. That able man, as we have already 
stated, had at first opposed Secession, and had refused to 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 85 

sign the ordinance when it was passed by the Convention. 
But immediately afterward, when he discovered that his 
State no longer remained in any respect identified with 
the Federal Union, and that there could be no further 
prospect of dignities and honors for him in that Union, 
he began to waver in his position. The art and tact 
with which he prepared the way for his complete apostacy 
are worthy of notice. Nothing could have been more 
adroit or more specious. He wrote a preamble and 
resolution which were adopted by the Convention, to 
the following effect : " Whereas, the lack of unanimity in 
the action of this Convention on the passage of the 
ordinance of Secession indicates a difference of opinion 
amongst the members of the Convention, not so much as 
to the rights which Greorgia claims, or the wrongs of 
which she complains, as to the remedy and its application 
before a resort to other means of redress ; and whereas it 
is desirable to give expression to that intention, which 
really exists among all the members of the Convention, 
to sustain the State in the course of action which she has 
pronounced to be proper for the occasion ; therefore 
resolved, that all the members of this Convention, 
including those who voted against the ordinance, as well 
as those who voted for it, will sign the same as a pledge 
of the unanimous determination of this Convention to 
sustain and defend the State in this her course of remedy, 
with all its ' responsibilities and consequences, without 
regard to individual approval or disapproval of its 
adoption." That is to say, those who voted against 
Secession, and refused to sign the ordinance, promised, 
nevertheless, to sustain the State in the execution of it ; 
those who condemned Secession, and regarded it as 
pernicious, illegal and wrong, would nevertheless support 
those to their utmost who have pledged themselves to 



86 A HISTORY OF 

adbere to that pernicious, illegal and injurious policy, 
to whatever results it may lead ! American political 
liistor}'" presents many instances of profound and logical 
reasoning, of consistent and cohesive policy ; but "\ve 
imagine that this case transcends the rest ! 

At this period all the representatives of the seceding 
States in the Federal Congress, except Mr. Bouligny of 
Louisiana, had resigned their seats and returned to their 
constituents. During the month of January, 1861, a 
number of the Conventions which had passed the ordi- 
nance of Secession continued to sit, and to adopt those 
additional measures which were rendered necessary in 
consequence of their withdrawal from the Union. The 
Georgia Convention demanded from the Federal Govern- 
ment possession of all the Federal property within the 
limits of that State; and appointed commissioners to 
proceed to the other apostate States, and give tliem 
counsel and encouragement. The Convention of Ala- 
bama adopted a resolution approving of the action of the 
representatives of the State in withdrawing from the 
Federal Congress. All the Conventions of the seceding 
States elected delegates to the Congress which had been 
appointed to meet at Montgomery, Alabama, for the 
purpose of establishing a Southern Confederacy. The 
Convention of Florida commended the action of Com- 
modore Armstrong, who, being in command of the 
Pensacola Navy Yard at that time, surrendered it to the 
authorities of the State, without making the least effort 
at resistance. We fancy that Commodore Armstrong 
will scarcely take rank, in the history of this memorable 
war, by the side of Anderson, Slemmer, Ellsworth, 
Lyon, and other heroic defenders of the Union. 

Thus had these seven States, which once formed a 
part of this beneficent Union, persisted in the suicidal 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 87 

act of completely destroying their connection with it. 
All the preliminary steps toward the establishment of a 
rival, and perhaps a hostile, republic in the South had 
now been successively taken. The foundations of the 
new political edifice had been laid with a degree of 
prudence, resolution and harmony, worthy of a more 
glorious and commendable enterprise. The Southern 
Congress of Montgomery, destined to achieve an unen- 
viable immortality, was about to convene and to com- 
plete all the features and details of the architectural 
monster which had been begun. 

The Congress of the seceded States met at Montgomery, 
Alabama, on Monday, February -ith, 1861. They as- 
sembled in the Senate chamber of the Capitol. A full 
representation from every rebel State appeared and took 
their seats. The Convention was called to order by Mr. 
Chilton, a delegate from Alabama. He- moved that E. 
W. Barnwell, of South Carolina, be chosen temporary 
Chairman. The motion prevailed. Mr. Barnwell too.k 
the chair and made a thankful speech. He then invited 
the Eev. Dr. Manly to offer a prayer. That individual 
at once came forward and prayed. The chairman then 
reminded the Convention that the first duty which 
devolved upon them was to provide for their more 
perfect organization by electing permanent'officers. But 
it appears that the Chairman was precipitate in his 
suggestion ; for Mr. Ehett rose and asserted that the first 
thing in order was not that measure, but to exantine and 
approve the credentials of the delegates. The Chairman 
admitted the truth of the observation, and the verification 
was commenced. That preliminary process being com- 
pleted, the delegates signed the roll The whole Con- 
vention consisted of forty-one members, one delegate 
only being absent. 



88 A HISTORY OF 

The Congress being thus organized, Mr. Rhett pro- 
posed that the body proceed at once to the election of 
permanent officers ; and without giving the members any 
opportunity to express their approval or their disapproval 
of the proposition, he proceeded to nominate Howell 
Cobb, of Georgia, as President of the Convention. He 
also proposed that the election be made by acclamation. 
This proposition was also complied with, and Mr, Cobb 
was chosen by the accl amatory process. The result being 
announced, and indeed being plainly apparent of itself, 
it was followed by "much applause." Mr. Cobb then 
took the Chair, and addressed the Convention. He too 
was oppressed with more than an ordinary and painful 
degree of grateful emotion ; but he gave utterance to the 
best of his ability to his " sincere thanks" for the honor 
conferred upon him ; after which the remaining officers 
of the Congress were elected. These also received their 
honors by the exaggerated and superfluous process of 
acclamation. Mr. Stephens then moved that a committee 
be appointed to report rules for the government of the 
Convention. This proposition was agreed to ; and the 
committee being appointed, the proceedings of the first 
day terminated. 

It is not pertinent to our purpose to follow the details 
of the less important transactions of this Congress. "We 
will allude merely to those of leading interest, and having 
a direct bearing upon the events which ensued. The 
body adopted the novel but doubtless commendable 
expedient of holding secret sessions, so that a portion 
of their transactions remains unknown to the general 
public. Resolutions were passed from day to day per- 
fecting the organization of the new Confederacy. The 
most important of these had reference to the adoption of 
a Constitution, the election of Executive officers, pro- 



THE SOUTHEKN KEBELLION. 89 

viding suitable buildings and accommodations for the 
inferior functionaries of the Confederacy, and selecting a 
flag and other emblematical and official contrivances. 
On the sixth day of their deliberations the delegates 
adopted a Constitution, which had been reported by the 
committee appointed for that purpose. This Constitution 
was termed a "provisional" one, intended to govern the 
new Confederacy for one year from the inauguration of 
the future President, or until a permanent confederation 
between the States should be put in operation. 

On the same day which was signalized by the adoption 
of this Constitution, the chief executive officers of the 
new republic were chosen by the Congress: Jefferson 
Davis of Mississippi was elected President, and Alexan- 
der H, Stephens of Georgia Yice President. It must be 
admitted that great sagacity and prudence were exhibited 
in the selections thus made. Among the very consider- 
able number of eminent men who resided within the 
limits of the rebel States, it is probable that none could 
have been chosen so well adapted to the peculiar posi- 
tions which were then to be filled. It was evident that 
the future President must needs be a man possescing both 
civil and military talents. He should be familiar with 
the machinery and principles of government in the 
cabinet, as well as with the command and .conduct of an 
army in the field. He should also be well acquainted 
with the structure and aims of that great and powerful 
Eepublic against whose lawful control they had rebelled. 
He must be shrewd, resolute, firm, desperate. Above all 
things, he must be extremely fanatical in his Southern 
prejudices, and be thoroughly infected with secession 
principles. Such a man preeminently was Jefferson 
Davis. The Vice President must resemble him in all 
these respects except one. He need possess no military 



90 A HISTORY OF 

knowledge, no martial experience. It would be liis 
duty to carry on the Government in the absence of the 
chief Executive ; and while the latter was at the head of 
the victorious armies of the Southern Confederacy, sack- 
ing Washington, driving Mr. Lincoln and his cabinet in 
hot haste from the Capital, striking terror into the in- 
habitants of the North, burning cities, blockading ports, 
capturing ships upon the high seas ; during the progress 
of all these heroic and magnificent deeds, which it was 
confidently and exultingly asserted the invilicible Davis 
would soon be achieving, he, the Yice President, must 
be conducting the home government with prudence, 
harmony and skill. These boasts respecting the future 
achievements of the rebel President formed a prominent 
feature, at this period, of the prevalent sentiment and 
utterances in the seceding States. 

No person was more enthusiastic and constant in 
giving expression to these vauntings than ex-senator 
WigMl of Texas. But Wigfall's prognostications were 
liable to an objection of a very peculiar and serious 
character. King Charles II. of England was accustomed 
to assert that Prince George of Denmark, who had 
married his niece, the Princess Anne, afterward Queen, 
was extremely shallow; that he^had tried the Prince 
when sober, and he had tried him when drunk ; but that, 
whether drunk or sober, there was nothing in him. 
This was precisely the defect of the prophecies of Senator 
Wigfall. It did not produce the slightest difference 
whether the prophetic frenzy came upon him when in- 
toxicated, or when not intoxicated ; in either case there 
was nothing in him ; in no case did his predictions prove 
to be in accordance with the event. 

"We venture to predict that the rOle which Jefferson 
Davis and his chief associates have enacted, will be re- 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 91 

garded by posterity, when the passions and prejudices 
of this stormy time shall have been lulled to repose by 
the Lethean flood of years, as the most unenviable and 
execrable which has ever fallen to the lot of any human 
being. We do indeed read of that " aspiring youth who 
fired the Ephesian dome," that he might thereby secure 
an immortality of fame ; yet we have never learned that 
any — except the cruel and infamous Gloster, and such 
as he — commended him for the rash act. Those who 
have striven, from the promptings of a similar motive, 
to mar and desolate the nobler fabric of the American 
Union, will incur a condemnation during after ages, more 
intense, more univei'sal, more enduring than his. Let 
us glance briefly at the personal histories and character- 
istics of these great historic criminals. 

Jefferson Davis will occupy in future ages a position 
in the annals of the great republic of the New World 
not very unlike that of Benedict Arnold and Aaron 
Burr. That he is a remarkable man in many respects, 
capable of high and great as well as of base and mean 
achievements, is an unquestionable fact. His personal 
history, vv^hich is full of variety and interest, clearly 
demonstrates the truth of this assertion. He was born 
in Christian county, Kentucky, in June, 1808. His 
father, who was a wealthy planter, removed soon after 
his birth to Wilkinson county, Mississippi. His son 
gave early proofs of superior intelligence and talent, and 
at the usual age was sent to Transylvania College, in his 
native State. Having completed the course of study 
there, he was admitted to the Military Academy at West 
Point in 1824. He graduated in that institution in 
1828 ; and so high was his reputation then for energy 
and ability, that he immediately obtained the appoint- 



92 A HISTORY OF 

ment of brevet second lieutenant, and commenced active 
service in the regular army. 

Mr. Davis distinguished himself in the thrillins: events 
which occurred in the Black Hawk War, and remained 
in the army five years until 1832. In the following year 
he was promoted to a first lieutenancy of dragoons, and 
in that capacity made a number of expeditions against 
the Camanches, Pawnees, and other hostile Indian tribes 
upon the frontiers. It was in 1835 that, chiefly in conse- 
quence of ill health, he resigned his commission, returned 
to Mississippi and commenced the pursuits of a planter. 
He remained in retirement and repose till 1843, when 
he began to take an active part in political life. He 
entered the arena of politics as a Democrat, and was 
chosen one of the Electors for the State of Mississippi, 
who gave their ballots for Polk and Dallas in 1844. 
In the following year he was chosen to represent his 
adopted State in Congress, and thus began a new and 
more pacific career. In that body Mr. Davis soon ac- 
quired fame and assumed a prominent position, as a 
public speaker and an energetic partisan. His clearness 
and force of thought, his bold and impressive delivery, 
his fluency and freedom of utterance, always commanded 
respect and attention from his auditors. He was evi- 
dently no common man, destined to achieve no common 
career. 

• He was thus winning his way to a high political repu- 
tation when, in July, 1846, the first regiment of Missis- 
sippi elected him their colonel, when they were about to 
serve in the Mexican war. He immediately accepted 
the post, resigned his seat in Congress, proceeded to New 
Orleans, took command of the regiment, and led them 
forward to the assistance of General Taylor, then posted 
on the Rio Grande. At the storming of Monterey in 



THE SOUTHERN KEBELLI02T. 93 

September, 1846, he acted with great gallantry, and was 
appointed one of the Commissioners to arrange the terms 
of the capitulation of that city. At the bloody battle of 
Bueua Vista in February, 1847, he won new laurels, ex- 
hibited superior heroism and bravery, was severely 
woimded, and extorted from the unwilling commander- 
in-chief an unusual compliment in his dispatch of March, 
1847. In the following summer he returned to Missis- 
sippi, and was immediately appointed by the Governor 
of the State to fill a vacancy which had occurred in the 
Federal Senate. In January, 1848, he was elected 
by the Legislature of that State to the same high office ; 
and after the expiration of his term in March, 1851, was 
again chosen for another period of service in the Senate 
of the United States. In 1851 he was nominated by the 
Democratic party in Mississippi for Governor against 
Henry S. Foote, but was defeated by a small majority. 

After the nomination of Mr. Pierce for the Presidency 
in 1852, Mr. Davis took a very active part in the cam- 
paign, and spoke ably in favor of his old comrade in 
arms throughout the entire 'State. As a reward for his 
efficient services the new President appointed him to the 
office of Secretary of "War. Then ensued the most 
honorable and n;ost useful period of his life. He possessed 
every necessary qualification for the duties of his high 
position, and he conducted its affiiirs with eminent energy, 
ability and success. He was exceedingly popular with the 
army, and he made some important improvements in the 
service. He introduced the use of the minie rifle, he in- 
creased the inland and coast frontier defences, he explored 
the best route for the Pacific Railroad, he amended the 
light infantry tactics, he revised the whole code of the 
army regulations. What the zeal and ability of Arnold 
had been previous to his treason to his country, the efibrts 



94 A HISTORY OF 

and services of Davis were before the origin of the 
Southern Rebellion. After the termination of the ad 
ministration of Mr. Pierce, Mr. Davis was elected by the 
Legislature of Mississippi to the Senate of the United 
States, for the term ending in March, 1863 ; but before 
that term had half expired he had abandoned his post, 
left the serene haven of high official life, and embarked 
upon the stormy ocean of rebellion against a great and 
beneficent Government. In this rash act, a desperate 
ambition was unquestionably his leading motive. He 
vainly imagined that he would attain still higher emi 
nence, and that he would at length strike the stars with 
his sublime head — suhlimi feriat sidera vertice. 

Of the remaining members of the rebel Government, 
it will be unnecessary to speak at much length. Alex- 
ander Hamilton Stephens, the Yice President, was born 
in 1818, and was a man of superior natural talents, a 
sophistical and powerful thinker, an able and effective 
orator. He represented the State of Georgia during a 
series of years in the National Legislature ; and he 
attained a distinguished position in that body, so richly 
adorned by diversity, profundity and profusion of talent, 
among its members, at different periods. Laboring 
during all his life under extremely ill health, hovering 
continually and feebly over an open grave, the slender 
and uncertain hold which he maintained upon existence 
did not prevent him from taking an active part in the 
great debates and forensic battles which occurred in the 
House during the period of his presence in it. When 
the project of Secession was first agitated in Georgia, he 
opposed it, as has already been stated, with the utmost 
zeal. We have previously narrated how he changed his 
position, stultified his own arguments, and espoused the 
cause of the rebels. The reward of his services was the 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION". 95 

second dignity in the new Confederacy. As to his quali- 
fications for the duties of his position, there could be no 
question ; for he was well adapted to them, both by 
superior natural talents and by long experience in politi- 
cal life. 

The most remarkable of the men who were subsequently 
appointed to the rebel Cabinet was Charles G. Memminger, 
who became Secretary of the Treasury. This person was 
born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1804, and was brought 
to Charleston when two years of age by his parents. 
Soon afterward their premature death left him friendless 
and destitute in the world. He then became an inmate of 
an orphan asylum ; but after some years was so fortunate 
as to obtain the patronage of Governor Bennet of 
South Carolina. That gentleman became interested in 
his fate, and assisted him to commence a career which 
afterward attained no small degree of distinction, Mr. 
Memminger's intellectual qualities were much above the 
ordinary range. His mind was clear, strong, sagacious. 
In temper he was ambitious, persevering, determined, 
self-confident. Small in person, he compensated for that 
deficiency by unusual activity and energy of movement. 
He was for a long time prominent in political life in 
South Carolina. For many years he was Chairman of 
the Committee of Finance of the Legislature of the 
State. He always opposed the existence of banks and 
the use of paper money. In truth, he had been to the 
State of South Carolina what Albert Gallatin was to the 
Federal Government in the Eevolutionary era. He was 
however a man of details, and never rose to grand 
national views, nor achieved a national fame in the arena 
of politics. By his zeal and earnestness in advocating 
Secession, he invested his name with an unenviable and 



96 A HISTORY OF 

execrable notoriety, and forever tarnisTied tlie "honorable 
eminence which he had previovsly secured. 

Next in the order of importance in the rebel Cabinet 
was Mr, Toombs, the Secretary of State. This person 
distinguished himself in the Federal Congress, during 
a number of years, as a zealous advocate of Southern 
interests. He was noted for liis impetuous and declama- 
tory style of speaking. He was an admirable represen- 
tative of the peculiarities of Southern eloquence — ardent, 
rapid, noisy Mr. Mallory, the Secretary of the Navy, 
formerly occupied a seat with honor in the United States 
Senate. He was a man of practical talents and utilitarian 
tendencies. General L. Pope Walker, the Secretary of 
War, was comparatively unknown to the nation at large, 
but he had acquired some military reputation in the South. 
J. P. Benjamin, the Attorney General, had previously 
represented the State of Louisiana during some years 
in the Federal Senate. He possessed no inconsiderable 
attainments as a jurist, and some ability as a forensic 
orator; but his most remarkable and prominent charac- 
teristic was his acquisitiveness, as was demonstrated both 
by his earlier and by his maturer history. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 97 



CHAPTER IV. 

ASSEMBLING OF THE PEACE CONGRESS AT WASHINGTON — THEIR PRO- 
POSALS OF COMPROMISE — THEIR REJECTION AND FAILURE — ATTITUDE 
OF PRESIDENT BUCHANAN — PUBLIC SENTIMENT RESPECTING FORT SUM- 
TER MISSION OF THE " STAR OF THE WEST" FINAL ESTABLISHMENT 

OF THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT AT MONTGOMERY INAUGURATION 

OF JEFFERSON DAVIS AS PRESIDENT — HIS ADDRESS INAUGURATION 

OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN HIS ADDRESS— HIS CABINET OFFICERS — THE 

FAMOUS ORATION OF A. H. STEPHENS AT SAVANNAH ITS HISTORICAt 

IMPORTANCE HIS FIRST POSITION — HE REFUTES JEFFERSON, HAMILTON, 

AND MADISON HIS SECOND POSITION — THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE 

SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY ABSURDITY AND FALLACY OF THAT FOUNDA- 
TION THE FUTURE CONDITION AND DESTINY OF THE NEGRO RACE. 

AYhile the founders of tlie Soutliern. Confederacy 
were thus completing their work at Montgomery, a 
vigorous effort was being made by eminent men in the 
nation — beyond the jurisdiction of the Federal Con- 
gress — to heal the difficulty, and avert the horrors of 
civil war. A Peace Congress was convened at Wash- 
ington, whose special aim and purpose it was to accom- 
plish this desirable result. Ex-president Tyler presided 
over its deliberations; and during the progress of its 
sessions a committee was appointed, consisting of one 
member from each State, for the purpose of drawing up 
pacific propositions, which might be acceptable to both 
parties. The chairman of this committee was the 
venerable James Guthrie of Kentucky. After much 
discussion, certain proposals of compromise were agreed 
upon. 

Having adopted a number of elaborate Articles, every 
word of which had been carefully weighed and discussed, 
7 



98 A HISTORY OF 

the Congress provided for their being communicated to 
the hostile and rival Governments, for their considera- 
tion and approval. They then adjourned. But the ulti- 
mate fate of these propositions was unfortunate. They 
satisfied neither party, over whose minds the spirit of 
extreme irritation prevailed ; and thus they failed in ac- 
complishing the benevolent and patriotic purpose for 
which they were evidently intended. 

The leaders of the Southern Eebellion at Charleston 
were not disposed to permit themselves or their achieve- 
ments to disappear from public view ; and although the 
attention of the nation was chiefly directed to the events 
then progressing at Montgomery, they managed to make 
sufl&cient commotion to be the subjects of continued 
astonishment and general scrutiny. Fort Sumter was 
still held by Major Anderson for the United States with 
a small gar^-ison. The administration of James Bu- 
chanan continued to drag out its ignominious length ; 
and the sole purpose of that personage seemed to be, to 
keep things as quiet as possible, and to avoid decisive 
and bold measures of any kind, until he should escape 
from the difficulties of his official position. But the 
voice of public sentiment imperatively demanded, that 
some demonstration should be. made for the assistance 
and support of the commandant of Fort Sumter, which 
seemed to be in greater peril at that moment than any 
other of the Federal fortresses. Accordingly, a vessel 
named the Star of the West, was freighted with provi- 
sions and ammunition, and dispatched from New York 
to the port of Charleston. It was the hope of the nation 
that efficient relief would by this means be afforded to 
Major Anderson ; and that he would be so far strength- 
ened, as to be able to resist with success any attack 
which the Eebels might make upon him. Such, how- 



THE SOUTHERiS' REBELLIO]Sr. 99 

ever, was not destined to be the case. As the Star of 
the West hove in sight off the bar of Charleston, she was 
greeted with a discharge of artillery from the shore. As 
she continued to approach, the salute became warmer 
and more effective. At length the fire from Morris 
Island assumed a really dangerous vigor and fury. Then 
the commander of the vessel gave the order to port her 
helm ; she turned her head ; doubled upon her track ; 
proceeded out over the bar ; and thence sailed back to 
New York. A more miserable and abortive attempt to 
accomplish any purpose could not possibly be conceived. 
This result excited general surprise and disgust through- 
out the nation. People of every class and every party 
inquired why the Federal Government, once so powerful 
and so prompt in the public service, both civil and mili- 
tary, had suddenly become so utterly imbecile and 
worthless, that an armed rebellion against the Govern- 
ment could pursue its insulting and defiant course, could 
plunder public property, could declare its intention to 
attack and capture Federal fortresses ; and yet, all that 
the General Government could accomplish, after three 
months of menace on the part of the enemy, and of 
deliberation on the part of the Administration, was the 
sending of a single unarmed vessel, with a few men and 
some supplies, to make, as it were, a mere dumb show 
of relief, and then return again, without having accom- 
plished any thing. What the real secret of this myste- 
rious policy may have been, the future historian and 
apologist of the administration of James Buchanan must 
explain, and if possible, must vindicate. 

Meanwhile, the establishment of the Eebel Govern- 
ment was progressing at its infant seat of empire. On 
the 15th of February the Congress at Montgomery 
appointed a committee to make suitable arrangements 



100 A HISTOKY OF 

for the reception of the new President, and for the cere- 
monies of his inauguration. This committee performed 
their duties with energy and success ; and Jefferson Davis 
was inducted into his ofl&ce on the ensuing 18th of the 
month, in the capitol of the State, with as much pomp 
and ceremony as could be mustered for the occasion. 
The speech delivered by the new President was elabo- 
rated with much care, and was well adapted to the cir- 
cumstances under which it was uttered. 

Mr. Davis concluded his address with pious allusions 
to the blessings of Providence, and with devout petitions 
for future guidance and direction from the Supreme 
Being. After the close of the ceremonies, the signing 
of the Provisional Constitution by the members of the 
assembled Congress ensued. Great exultation prevailed 
throughout Montgomery on that day ; and at night the 
general rapture was displayed by fireworks, by melodies 
from brass bands, and by all the usual methods of joyful 
popular demonstration. 

Thus at last the Southern Confederacy was fully and 
permanently organized. Immediately afterward the 
members of the Cabinet of Mr. Davis were confirmed by 
the Congress without hesitation. They immediately 
entered upon the duties of their several offices. One of 
the first acts of the President was to appoint General 
Peter G. T. Beauregard, late a major in the United States 
engineer corps, to proceed to Charleston and take com- 
mand of the forces assembled there for the attack and 
capture of Fort Sumter. 

"While the attention of the seceding States was occu- 
pied by those events, the chief interest of the nation was 
engrossed by the events transpiring at Washington. 
On the 4th of March, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inau- 
gurated as President of the United States and assumed 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 101 

tlie functions of his high office. No man ever inherited 
a more difficult or a more perilous post than fell to his 
lot. No man ever left a Government in a more wretched 
state of anarchy and confusion than his predecessor had 
done. Mr. Lincoln delivered an Inaugural Address 
characterized by great moderation, by extreme prudence, 
and by practical sagacity ; and the nation derived fresh 
confidence from its manly tone and spirit, in his fitness 
for the anomalous position in which he was placed. He 
selected his Cabinet with equal judgment and felicity. 
William H. Seward, one of the most able and eminent 
of living American statesmen, was appointed Secretary 
of State. Simon Cameron, an adroit and experienced 
man of business, became Secretary of War. Gideon 
Welles, already favorably known for his official ability, 
became Secretary of the Navy. Salmon P. Chase, one 
of the most accomplished and profound financiers of the 
day, was placed at the head of the Treasury. Eeuben 
C. Smith took charge of the Interior ; Mr. Blair presided 
in the Post Office Department ; Mr. Bates became Attor- 
ney General. 

It was on the 21st of March that Alexander H. 
Stephens, Yice President of the Southern Confederacy, 
delivered- a memorable speech in the city of Savannah, 
which was commended by his partizans aS a prodigious 
achievement of logical ability and skill. The professed 
purpose of this oration was to describe and to defend the 
leading principles of the Constitution of the Ptebel 
Eepublic. It was regarded by the Secessionists as an 
unassailable and impregnable bulwark of their peculiar 
institutions. Its delivery was a prominent event in the 
establishment of the new government. It was cited as a 
representative speech uttered by a representative man ; 
and it was applauded as the greatest intellectual monu- 



102 A HISTORY OF 

ment erected by tlieir statesmen during the progress of 
the war. As it will always retain an historical impor- 
tance and significance, we may be permitted briefly to 
examine some of its leading positions. 

Mr. Stephens commenced his oration by observing, in 
substance, that the preeminent and most valuable ingre- 
dient of the Southern Constitution was its admirable 
settlement of the whole subject of slavery, by which that 
vexed question was clearly defined and practically 
adjusted forever. He then proceeded to say that the 
founders of the Federal Government, Jefferson* Hamilton, 
Madison and their associates, maintained the position 
that slavery was a violation of the laws of nature ; that 
they believed it to be inherently wrong, socially, morally 
and politically ; and that they indulged the hope that at 
some future time it would be wholly abolished and 
removed. This opinion, Mr. Stephens asserted, was false. 
The sages of the Eevolutionary era were in error. Their 
views were limited, superficial, absurd. He had dis- 
covered that slavery is not a violation of the laws of 
nature ; that it is not wrong, socially, morally or politi- 
cally. JSTor was it destined to be evanescent, and event- 
ually to pass away. 

Such was Mr. Stephens's bold and positive assertion. 
But where is the proof that the founders of the Federal 
Government on this point were in error ? None whatever 
is adduced in this speech. Not a single argument is 
advanced by the orator to demonstrate it. He makes a 
simple and unsupported declaration to that effect. It 
then becomes a mere question of veracity and authority 
between A. H. Stephens on the one side, and those whose 
wisdom and sagacity he calls in question on the other. 
Either he is right, and Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, and 
their associates were wrong; or their judgments were 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLTOX. 103 

correct and liis erroneous. Mr. Stepliens having placed 
the argument and the issue on this basis, thereby im- 
posed upon his opponents the necessity of inquiring who 
possesses the greater weight of authority, he, or the 
Federal founders ? The real question to be decided is : 
AVill A. H. Stephens outweigh in the scales of authority 
the vast and powerful gravitation of those renowned 
sageS; philosophers and statesmen? "We imagine tliat 
he will not. In any instance in which he and they 
would be balanced against each other, his authority 
would be as the weight of a feather • against the pon- 
derosity of an Alp. Hence it was an act of weakness on 
his part to put the argument on that ground ; and that 
weakness demonstrated the folly of those who applauded 
his speech in such extravagant terms. He makes an 
issue before the public, which issue an impartial public 
must, at a single glance, discover to be so overwhelm- 
ingly against him that an adverse decision of their 
judgments is instantly and inevitably extorted from 
them. 

Mr. Stephens's second position was the most important, 
and also the most fallacious, contained in his speech. 
He asserted that the Southern Republic was based upon 
the great principle that the " negro is not equal to the 
white man; that slavery, subordination to tlie superior 
race, is his natural and normal condition ;" and he adds 
with exultation, that the new government " was the first 
in the history of the world based on that great physical, 
philosophical and moral truth." We will not deny that the 
latter part of this declaration may be true. The bound- 
less and immeasurable absurdity of a professedly free 
government being based, and absolutely founded, on a 
despotic and tyrannical dogma such as the worst tyrants 
who ever trampled human rights in the dust, and defied 



104 A HISTORY OF 

all laws human and divine would have approved and 
applauded; that monstrous contradiction we verily 
believe has never before been perpetrated by any 
race of rational beings. It is a glory belonging not 
to Turkish, or Russian, or Austrain autocrats, but to 
the enlightened statesmen of the Southern Confederacy 
alone ! 

But in itself considered this declaration of Mr. Ste- 
phens set forth first, a great falsehood, and second, if it 
were true, it was a most iniquitous and execrable 
principle on which to establish any government, and 
especially a government which called itself a Republic. 
We affirm that it is a false assertion that the negro is 
essentially and inherently an inferior race, as regards his 
natural, intellectual and moral capabilities of culture. 
That he has been made thus inferior, that he now is so, 
that he may for ages remain inferior is unquestionable. 
But that he would have been inferior if surrounded by 
the same elevating influences which the white races have 
enjoyed is not proved. If the negro be inferior in the 
United States to the white man, is that fact not to be 
attributed to the despotism and prejudice under which 
he has always lived ? How could it be otherwise, when, 
from the day on which the race was transported hither 
to the present time, it has been fewer in numbers than the 
whites, destitute of means of improvement, ground into 
the dust by tyranny, enervated by degrading and 
exhausting labor, and their minds shut out by a stronger 
power from the genial influences of education, science, 
art, liberty and social improvement. It is evident that 
if the relative positions of the races had been exchanged, 
if the first inhabitants of the North American colonies 
had been free negroes, if a few whites of the lowest 
grade from Ireland, Germany, or England, had been 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION" 105 

transported hither as slaves, and if they and their descend- 
ants had existed for several centuries precisely as ne- 
groes have lived during that interval, they would now 
occupy the same relative position in intelligence with 
regard to the rival race which the negroes do at the 
present hour. 

The truth of this conjecture is demonstrated by the 
fact that, in cases where negroes have enjoyed favorable 
influences and opportunities, they have attained a degree 
of culture and intelligence very far in advance of the 
status of those negroes who are condemned to endure a 
life of bondage. This fact' proves the capability of the race 
for improvement. It is useless to adduce many instances 
which go to illustrate that capability; because one 
solitary example would establish the truth of the position 
as well as hundreds; and with some such examples all 
men are familiar. But no absurdity is greater than the 
assertion that in the abstract, and by nature, when living 
under equally favorable influences, the negro is neces- 
sarily and normally inferior to the white race. It cannot 
be proved, because no case has ever existed in which an 
equal opportunity was afforded to a whole community of 
negroes ; therefore no decision against their equality as a 
race can be derived with conclusive certainty from 
historical facts. 

To meet the surprise and disgust with which Mr. 
Stephens justly suspected that this sentiment would be 
received, he proceeded to argue that this great trutli 
which the Southern Republic had discovered and had 
made the corner-stone of its structure, might be very 
tardy in gaining the assent of mankind ; but that fact 
would be no argument against its truthfulness, because 
other great and true principles had been equally slow in 
their diffusion, and yet had at last attained universal 



106 ' A HISTORY OF 

supremacy over tlie convictions of men. Tlius it was, 
said he, with the discoveries of Galileo in Astronomy, 
and with the principles of Adam Smith in Political 
Economy. It was no argument against the truthfulness 
of their doctrines, that it required a long lapse of time 
before the world appreciated and believed them. It 
would be so, he added, with this new discovery of the 
statesmen of the Southern Confederacy. But, unfor- 
tunately, the opposition of mankind to new doctrines is 
no evidence of their absolute truthfulness. If men have 
long opposed novelties founded in truth, they have also 
opposed novelties founded in error with equal obstinacy. 
Hence the opposition of men to new doctrines is no 
argument either way. If it were an argument to establish 
the excellence of a principle, then the opposition which 
has, during many years, resisted the claims of the Mor- 
mons to credibility, would be an evidence in favor of 
their veracity. To deduce the truth of any new dogma 
from the fact that men condemn and oppose it, is there- 
fore a non scquitur. 

This memorable argument of Mr. Stephens concluded, 
so far as the question of slavery was concerned, with the 
declaration that slavery, a condition of inferiority, was 
not only the natural and legitimate position of the negro, 
but that experience had also taught, " that it loas best for 
himP What a marvelous specimen of logical absurdity 
and fallacy is here ? The negro is inferior, degraded 
and debased ; therefore it is right to enslave him. But 
it is found by experience that slavery, which retains him 
in this inferior, degraded and debased condition, "is 
best 'for him." Therefore it is best for a certain race 
of men to remain inferior, degraded and debased. It is 
a legitimate inference which follows from this premise, 
that whatever is best for one race must be advantageous 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 107 

for all races ; lience, if it be best for the negro thus to 
be inferior, degraded and debased, it is also most de- 
sirable for all mankind so to be. Any government 
based on so monstrous and absurd a foundation, carries 
within its own bosom the elements of its inevitable de- 
struction. 



108 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER V. 

THE MISSION OF MR. YANCEY AND HIS ASSOCIATES TO EUROPE — THEIR 

REPRESENTATIONS TO THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH PEOPLE EVENTS AT 

C-HARLESTON — THE REBEL COMMISSIONERS AT WASHINGTON — THEIR 
ABSURD DEPORTMENT — GEN. BEAUREGARD DEMANDS THE SURRENDER 
OF FORT SUMTER MAJOR ANDERSON RESPECTFULLY DECLINES PRE- 
PARATIONS FOR THE BOMBARDMENT OF THE FORT — SIZE AND STRENGTH 
OF THE WORKS — SKETCH OF MAJOR ANDERSON SKETCH OF GEN. BEAU- 
REGARD — COMMENCEMENT OF THE BOMBARDMENT HEROISM OF THE 

GARRISON INCIDENTS OF THE FIRST DAY'S ATTACK — EVENTS OF THE 

ENSUING NIGHT THE CONTINUANCE OF THE BOMBARDMENT DURING THE 

NEXT DAY — SUFFERINGS OF THE GARRISON EX-SENATOR WIGFALL A 

DEPUTATION FROM GEN. BEAUREGARD — PROPOSITIONS OF SURRENDER 

THEY ARE ACCEPTED BY MAJOR ANDERSON — EXULTATION OF THE 
REBELS — WHY THE GARRISON WAS NOT REINFORCED — PROCLAMATION 
OF GOVERNOR LETCHER PROCLAMATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 

Soon after the organization of the Southern Con- 
federacy, as has been ah-eady narrated, an important 
step was taken to obtain its recognition as an indepen- 
dent and established government by the leading sover- 
eignties of Europe. A Commission was appointed to 
proceed to England and France, of whom William L. 
Yancey was the chief, whose duty it was to effect that 
desirable result. It is curious to note the grounds upon 
which success in this enterprise, the importance of which 
is admitted, and need not be discussed, was based by_ the 
Rebel cabinet and their emissaries. 

It was urged in the South — and when the Commis- 
sioners ar lived in Europe they repeated the same repre- 
sentations there — that the Union was irretrievably 
destroyed ; that the seven seceding States would never 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLIOX, 109 

willingly return to the Federal Government ; and that 
the idea of compelling them so to do was absurd and 
visionary in the extreme. It remained therefore to con- 
sider what the interests of England and France would be 
in reference to this new Government, whose separate and 
permanent existence should now be accepted as an un- 
questionable and inevitable fact. The Commissioners 
asserted that ^' Eyigland must have cotton f'' and in that 
great overwhelming want lay the absolute necessity that 
she should recognize the new Government, and enter 
into a treaty of commerce with it. Nowhere else on the 
globe could this indispensable staple be produced in 
sufficient quantities, except in the Southern States. As 
soon as England perceived — as in a few months they 
asserted she would perceive — that thousands of her own 
manufacturing population were starving for the want of 
tbis commodity, her ships would force the blockade of 
the Southern ports, and recommence the trade which 
had been suspended. The Commissioners declared that 
the cotton crop for the summer of 1861 would be as 
abundant as usual, after making allowance for the greater 
proportion of corn and wheat which had been planted 
and sown. A potent motive would thus be offered to 
England to induce her to resume her commercial inter- 
course with the Southern States. And if this result 
occurred, it was highly proper and necessary that the 
formal recognition of the new Republic should have 
previously taken place. 

The Commissioners furthermore urged, in their infor- 
mal interviews with the English and French ministers, 
that the Seceding States, rather than return to the 
Federal Government, after all that had occurred to irri- 
tate and alienate them, would greatly prefer to become a 
colony of England or France. If they were unable to 



110 A HISTORY OF 

maintain their separate attitude, rather than again 
become members of the Federal Union, they would be 
willing to descend to the humbler relation of dependants 
ujDon a royal or imperial sovereign . In that view it would 
be prudent, in the very beginning of the contest, for 
France and England to recognize the new republic; 
because by so doing, they would render the subsequent 
act of submission to either of their own monarchs more 
legitimate and binding. Strange and utterly false ideas 
were also set forth by the Commissioners in regard to 
slavery, as it existed in the Eebel States. They asserted 
that the opposition of the inhabitants of the North to 
that institution was based solely on the fact that, before 
Secession took place, the whole nation was held responsi- 
ble for it in the eyes of the world ; that as soon as the 
Southern Eepublic was recognized by European powers, 
whereby the stigma of slavery would be removed from 
the North, the latter would in no respect interfere with 
it, and it would never constitute any ground of future 
trouble or conflict between the two Governments. As a 
proof of this position, it was alleged that the black 
servants of the inhabitants of the West Indies, while 
sojourning in the Northern States, were never disturbed, 
nor were any efforts made to entice them from their 
masters. To overcome that repugnance which all intel- 
ligent Englishmen and many Frenchmen feel to slavery, 
it was urged that the existing slavery in the South was 
in reality a patriarchal institution ; that the negro race 
flourished under it ; that in 1808, when the foreign slave 
trade was abolished, there were but one million negroes 
in the slave States ; that now, after half a century of ex- 
periment, the negroes have increased fourfold ; and that 
when English and French statesmen closely examined 
the institution as it now exists, it would be found to be 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLION. Ill 

not only profitable for the master, but also most advanta- ' 
geous for the slave. 

While Mr. Yancey and his associates were zealously 
proclaiming and defending these questionable doctrines 
in England and France, and were oscillating between 
London and Paris with alternate hope and despair, im- 
portant events were transpiring at Charleston. Until 
the 7th of April, 1861, friendly relations had existed to 
some, extent between Major Anderson, in command of 
Fort Sumter, and the authorities of Charleston. Till 
then he had been permitted to obtain fresh provisions 
from the markets of the city ; but on that day General 
Beauregard issued an order to the effect that no further 
intercourse would be allowed between the fort and the 
shore. He then sent a messenger to Major Anderson 
apprismg him of that determination. 

The immediate cause of this decision seemed to be, that 
the Commissioners who had been recently dispatched 
from the Kebel Government to Washington for the 
purpose of settling all questions in regard to rival 
interests, geographical boundaries, and other issues which 
necessarily resulted from the full and absolute withdrawal 
of the seceding States from the Union, sent word to the 
rebel President that all their efforts had proved abortive. 
Mr. Seward, on the part of the Administration of Mr. 
Lincoln, .first refused their request for a private and 
unofficial interview. He then further informed them 
that it would be impossible for him, as Secretary of State 
for the United States, to hold any official intercourse with 
them whatever, to recognize them even as diplomatic 
agents of anybody ; and he declined to appoint a day on 
which they might present the evidences of their authority 
and the purpose of their visit to the Federal Government. 
The Commissioners, Messrs. Forsyth of Alabama, and 



112 A HISTORY OF 

Crawford of Georgia, received this intimation as an insult ; 
flew into passion of the most approved Southern intensity, 
informed the rebel government at Montgomery of the 
treatment which they had received, and left Washington 
in high dudgeon. When the inhabitants of the seceding 

DO . O 

States received the intelligence of these events, they 
caught the general and infectious rage ; a universal out- 
burst of execration resounded over the South, and curses 
both loud and deep were heaped upon the head of the 
person who then occupied the White House, and who 
had thus dared to snub the Southern Chivalry. 

Immediately after the occurrence of these events 
General Beauregard dispatched Messrs. Chesnut and Lee, 
his Aids-de-camp, to Major Anderson to demand of him 
formally the immediate surrender of Fort Sumter. To 
this polite requisition Major Anderson returned an 
equally courteous refusal. He declared that his sense of 
honor, and his obligations to his Government, would 
absolutely prevent his compliance with the demand. On 
the 12th of April, about 3 o'clock, A. M., a second depu- 
tation, was sent by the rebel general to the commandant 
of the fort, who were commissioned to say, that, if the 
latter would designate the time, at some future, and 
perhaps even distant period, when it would suit his con- 
venience, from want of provisions, or from any other 
sufiicient reason, to abandon the works, they would give 
him the assurance that, in the meantime, he should not 
be fired upon. The reply of Major Anderson to this 
proposition was equally unsatisfactory to the deputation; 
who consequently left the fort, giving him the agreeable 
assurance that the batteries of Charleston would open on 
him within an hour. 

And now the most startling and momentous event 
which had taken place since the commencement of the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 113 

rebellion was about to occur. For the first time since tbe 
foundation of tbe Federal Government, tbe alienated cbil- 
dren of tbe once glorious Union commenced actual bostili- 
ties against eacb otber ; and brotbers strove to stain tbeir 
bands witb fratricidal blood. Yet melancboly as was 
tbe spectacle wbicb was now presented to tbe view of 
mankind, it exbibited at tbe same time some comical 
features, wbicb migbt almost interject roars of laugbter 
amid tbe groans of tbe wounded and tbe moans of tbe 
dying. At tbis very period, according to tbe statement 
of tbe Cbarleston Mercury — a journal wbicb will not be 
suspected of injustice to tbeir own side — tbere were seven 
tbousand men under arms, and a bundred and forty pieces 
of beavy ordnance, wbicb were more guns tban Napoleon 
bad at Waterloo, actually in position, and ready for use, in 
and around tbe barbor of Cbarleston ; and tbis formidable 
armament was marsbaled by tbe cbivalrous and invin- 
cible State of Soutb Carolina, in order to capture a fort 
garrisoned by seventy balf-starved men ! 

Tbe fortification wbicb was about to become tbe scene 
of conflict, and around wbicb tbe events and tbe interest 
of tbe wbole rebellion were now to cluster, was named 
after Tbomas Sumter of Eevolutionary fame, and was 
one of tbe strongest and largest wbicb bad been erected 
by tbe Federal Government. In form Fort Sumter was 
a truncated pentagon, one of tbe five sides being parallel 
witb tbe sbore. On tbat side was tbe landing and 
entrance to tbe fort from a wbarf wbicb extended along 
tbe entire lengtb of tbe fortress and projected toward tbe 
land. Tbe beigbt of tbe walls above tbe water line was 
sixty feet, and tbey were from eigbt to twelve feet in 
tbickness. Tbe wbole number of guns mounted at tbe 
period of tbe attack was seventy-five, altbougli tbe full 
armament was a bundred and forty. These were placed 
8 



114 A HISTORY OF 

in three tiers. The heaviest, consisting of thirtj-fcwo and 
sixty-four pounders, were arranged on the lowest tier. 
The guns next in size, being twenty-four pounders, 
frowned from the port holes of the second tier. From 
the lofty parapet thirteen-inch columbiads and heavy sea- 
coast mortars menaced the foe. In the area within the 
fort there were two furnaces for heating shot. Oq the 
eastern and western sides were the barracks and mess 
halls of the privates. On the southern side were the 
quarters of the ofS.cers. The magazines of powder were 
well supplied; the only deficiency under which the 
garrison labored was that of fuses, men and provisions. 

The fortress was at this period under the command of 
Major Robert Anderson. This meritorious officer was 
born in 1810, and graduated with honor at West Point. 
His first important service was in the Black Hawk war, 
in which he behaved with gallantry. His superior merits 
are indicated by the fact that, in 1838, he was appointed 
assistant instructor and inspector at "West Point. In the 
following year he published a work entitled " Instruction 
for Field Artillery, Horse and Foot ; arranged for the 
Service of the United States." He was brevetted captain 
in April, 1838. He afterward was made assistant adjutant 
general. In March, 1848, he proceeded to Mexico with 
the Third Regiment of Artillery, and assisted in the siege 
of Vera Cruz. On that occasion he had command of one 
of the batteries. He accompanied General Scott in his 
triumphal march to the city of Mexico. For his gallant 
services in the war he was promoted to the brevet rank 
of major; and in October, 1857, received the position of 
major in the First Artillery. Throughout his whole 
military career Major Anderson had been remarkable for 
his bravery, coolness, general ability as a soldier, and 
bis incorruptible integrity as a patriot. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 115 

The officer who commanded the rebel forces in 
Charleston, and who was about to conduct the assault 
upon the fort, was not unworthy, in some respects, to be 
the rival of so admirable a soldier. General Peter Gr. Tou- 
tant Beauregard was a native of Louisiana, and was born 
in 1817. He was descended, on his mother's side, from 
Italian ancestors, who are said to trace their lineage to 
the illustrious ducal family of Reggio. He graduated at 
"West Point with honor in 1838, and was immediately 
appointed to the corps of Engineers. In January, ISIO, 
he obtained a first lieutenantcy ; and afterward served 
with distinction through the Mexican war. After the 
battle of Churubusco he was brevetted on the field as 
captain, for his gallant and meritorious conduct. After 
the conflict of Chepultepec he received a similar compli- 
ment, with the higher grade of major. His conduct 
during the entire war was distinguished for superior skill 
and fortitude ; and he had already attained the reputation 
of possessing military talents of a high order. It would 
doubtless have been impossible for the President of the 
Southern Confederacy to have confided the important 
service of reducing Fort Sumter to more able and 
experienced hands. 

Major Anderson had informed the deputation from 
Charleston, which waited upon him before daybreak on 
the 12th of April, that his provisions would be exhausted 
on the following Monday, the 15th of April. This infor- 
mation was given in an unofficial manner ; and the com- 
munication was perfectly proper under the circumstances. 
Accordingly, when the chivalrous warriors of South 
Carolina commenced the bombardment of the fort, it was 
done with the perfect knowledge of the fact that the 
siege must end in its capture, if it were only continued for 
three days. In truth, the commandant would have been 



116 



A HISTORY OF 



compelled to evacuate at that period, whether attacked 
or not ; or else starve to death. Therefore it is evident 
that the bombardment of the fort was in reality a com- 
plete farce, a mere dumb show of unnecessary, superfluous, 
ostentatious heroism. This important fact should be 
borne in mind when we contemplate the events which 
ensued, and the boundless boastings of the victors. 

At length, on Friday morning, April 12th, at half- 
past four o'clock, the commencement of the attack was 
announced by the discharge of a single bombshell, 
which, after describing a graceful curve through the 
murky heavens, descended, and burst directly over the 
fort. The darkness of the early dawn was suddenly illu- 
mined, far and near, by the flashing meteor. The sound 
reverberated over the silent fort, over the watery waste, 
over the adjacent shores, and over the slumbering city, 
starting thousands from their repose, and announcing 
that the last act' of the drama had commenced. Major 
Anderson instantly ordered the sentinels to descend from 
the parapets, the posterns to be closed, the stars and 
stripes to be unfurled from the summit of the flag-staff, 
and the men to remain within the bomb-proofs. After a 
short pause of preparation, the rebels commenced to fire 
upon Sumter from all directions, not only from the forts 
which had previously existed in the harbor, but also 
from those works which they had recently erected ; from 
the iron masked batteries at Cumming's Point, at a 
distance of sixteen hundred yards ; from the iron floating 
battery at the end of Sullivan's Island, distant two thou- 
sand yards ; and from the enfilading batteries on Sulli- 
van's Island and on Mount Pleasant. In consequence of 
the smallness of the garrison, Major Anderson did not 
return a single shot until his men had breakfasted, that 
they might husband their strength as much as possible. 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLION. 117 

At seven o'clock they were divided into three equal 
relief parties, with orders to work the batteries bj turns 
for four hours each. Then old Sumter opened her iron 
mouths, and poured forth an indignant and contemptu- 
ous hail-storm of shot and shell upon her multitudinous 
assailants, which told that her ancient vigor had not 
degenerated. The garrison displayed the utmost enthu- 
siasm in working the guns ; and the several reserve 
parties could scarcely be restrained from service till their 
proper turns arrived. The first relief was commanded 
by Captain Doubleday, of the Artillery, and Lieutenant 
Snyder, of the Engineer corps. Their compliments were 
chiefly paid to Fort Moultrie, whose shattered embra- 
sures soon testified to the superior skill and vigor of 
their gunnery. 

The immense superiority of the rebel batteries in 
numbers soon began to tell effectively upon the fortress. 
Their fire was uninterrupted and vigorous. A deluge 
of shot poured into Sumter from every quarter at once ; 
and the assailants must have been pigmies in warfare 
had they not been able to overpower the feeble garrison, 
and demolish the solitary fort. Loose brick and stone 
now flew in every direction; portions of the parapet 
were torn away ; six of the guns were disabled ; and it 
became certain death to undertake to work the barbette 
guns on the upper uncovered casement. About one 
o'clock, on Friday, the cartridges in the fort were ex- 
hausted ; and a party was detailed to use the blankets 
and shirts in the magazines to supply the deficiency. 
At length a greater evil than the shot of the enemy 
began to assail the heroic garrison. During the first day 
of the siege the barracks caught fire three several times ; 
and soon the fort was filled with smoke, which blinded 
the men and almost stifled them. By prodigious exer- 



118 A HISTORY OF 

tions the fire was extinguished. In the meanwhile the 
guns were served with the same alacrilry. The men — 
their faces begrimed with powder, the flames roaring within 
the works and apparently approaching nearer and nearer 
to the magazine, the batteries of the enemy reverberating 
from every quarter, and their red-hot shot exploding 
above, around and near them, without intermission — 
still worked with dauntless resolution, and the officers 
gave their orders with the utmost coolness. Amid 
such a pandemonium the darkness of night descended 
upon the scene ; and Friday, the first day of the assault, 
closed. 

But the fort was not yet reduced. During the night 
Major Anderson ordered his men to suspend their fire. 
Not so the assailants. Perfectly aware that after the 
third day the commandant must evacuate for want of 
provisions, they determined to make all the bluster and 
display possible ; and hence they continued their useless 
and superfluous assault during the entire night. It was 
a grand spectacle for the populace of Charleston. Never 
before had they witnessed such an exhibition. Never 
before had there been such a display of sky-rockets, at 
the public expense, as was made during that night in 
Charleston harbor. Accordingly, the whole population 
were out. The wharves, »and what is called the Bat- 
tery, were filled with a delighted and astonished multi- 
tude, who gazed with mingled wonder and exultation at 
the countless shells as they described their symmetrical 
parabolas through the midnight heavens, and then 
descended upon the silent fortress. That, however, for 
the most part was a display merely intended to de- 
monstrate the prowess and skill of the besiegers. Little 
damage was done during the night; Major Anderson 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 119 

spent the interval in recruiting his men and preparing 
for the next day's work. 

At length Saturday dawned, and Sumter began to 
respond to the fire of the enemy. The seven thousand 
Rebel ti'oops who were assembled at the scene of conflict 
had not yet become exhausted ; they still discharged 
their guns with uninterrupted regularity and frequency. 
Early in the day the barracks within the fort were set 
oa fire for the fourth time ; and it soon became evident 
that it would be impossible to extinguish the flames. 
No sooner would the exertions of the men succeed in 
suppressing the conflagration in one quarter, than the 
red-hot balls of the enemy would kindle them with fresh 
fury in another. Then it became necessary to remove 
the powder from the magazine. Ninety barrels were 
rolled through the very flames, wrapped in wet woolen 
blankets, to the port-holes, and thrown overboard. At 
last it was impossible to accomplish even this; and the 
doors of the magazine were closed and locked upon the 
remainder. And now the smoke became more stifling 
and insupportable than ever. The men were blinded 
and smothered beyond endurance. They could only 
breathe through wet cloths, and by lying on the ground. 
It is said that, at one moment, had not a propitious eddy 
of wind lifted the dense smoke from the area within the 
fortress, -nearly all the garrison must have been suffo- 
cated. In such a situation there was yet no thought of 
surrender ; but the guns of the fort could not be worked 
with the usual rapidity. They were fired slowly, only 
as fast as cartridges could be made in the darkness pro- 
duced by the smoke, and merely to announce the fact to 
the assailants and to the admiring citizens that the fort 
had not yet been silenced. 

Amid such scenes the hours of Saturday wore away. 



120 A HISTORY OF 

The final catastrophe was rapidly approaching. Seven 
thousand valiant soldiers would not easily desist from the 
conquest of seventy men. Hence the attack was kept up 
more furiously during this day than on the preceding. 
A deluge of red-hot shot was still poured upon the 
shattered works ; the fire within continued its unrestrained 
ravages ; the smoke became more intense, and swelled 
high up into the heavens, a black rolling mass, which 
could be seen from afar above the fort ; the main gate 
was battered down ; the walls were full of breaches ; and 
the towers had all been demolished. These were the 
results of the second day's assault, yet the stars and 
stripes still waved from the flag-staff; their graceful lines 
of beauty being occasionally visible, as the thick curtain 
of smoke would be wafted aside by the breeze. The sun 
was beginning to descend the western heavens, when 
ex-senator Wigfall suddenly and unaccountably pre- 
sented himself at one of the embrasures, with a white 
flag tied to his sword. Such a spectacle, at such a time 
and place, at once attracted attention. Lieutenant Snyder 
immediately approached him, and demanded his business. 
He received for answer, that the stranger was no less a 
person than General Wigfall, who came from General 
Beauregard with an important message ; and he desired 
to know why, the flag being down, the fort did not stop 
firing? The truth however was, that "Wigfall had not 
come with any message from Beauregard, and that the 
flag was not down. Nevertheless a parley ensued, which 
amounted to nothing. The visitor then disappeared 
through the embrasure, and soon afterward a deputation 
arrived, consisting of Messrs. Chesnut, Pryor, Lee, and 
Miles, who had been sent by General Beauregard. They 
brought propositions of surrender, which Major Ander- 
son approved and at once accepted. It was stipulated 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 121 

between them, tliat the garrison should remove all their 
individual and company property ; that they should 
inarch out with all their arms, at their own time, and 
in their own way ; that they should salute their flag 
with the honors of war, and then take it away with 
them. 

Thus was this memorable assault terminated. On 
Sunday morning, at half-past nine o'clock, the garrison 
withdrew, firing a salute of a hundred guns. They then 
embarked upon a transport furnished by the rebels ; the 
patriotic strain of Yankee Doodle floating meanwhile 
upon the breeze. They were subsequently transferred to 
the "Baltic," and sailed for New York. It is superfluous 
to say that Major Anderson and his men behaved during 
the bombardment with the utmost gallantry and heroism. 
It would have been impossible to have defended the fort 
more ably, or to have surmounted the difficulties of their 
position more resolutely, than they had done. The fact 
that none were killed during the assault must be attributed 
to the precautions used by the commandant, who stationed 
a man at every port-hole who gave notice of the approach 
of shot or shell. President Lincoln subsequently ex- 
pressed to Major Anderson, officially, his entire approval 
of the manner in which he had discharged his arduous 
duties on this occasion. 

After the victory came the exultation, and it was such 
exultation as had never before convulsed the chivalrous 
South. Seven thousand men had conquered seventy 
men ; and shouts of joy reverbrated throughout the whole 
length and breadth of the rebel States. General Beaure- 
gard immediately issued a proclamation, in which he 
congratulated the troops under his command for their 
success; spoke of the great privations and hardships 
which they had endured in the conflict ; and declared that 



122 A HISTORY OF 

they " had exhibited the highest characteristics of tried 
soldiers," He took occasion also to thank his staff, the 
regulars, the volunteers, the militia, and the naval forces 
for the prodigious heroism and gallantry which they had 
exhibited. 

Much surprise was expressed at the time that President 
Lincoln did not reinforcQ the garrison, and that surprise 
seemed founded in justice. But the Executive himself 
explained at a later period the reason of this apparent 
anomaly. That reason, which was amply suf&cient, was 
briefly this : It was the opinion of the chief officers, both 
of the army and navy, at Washington, whom Mr. 
Lincoln consulted on the subject — and it was also the 
opinion of Major Anderson himself — that it would require 
twenty thousand men to defend the fort successfully, and 
that the possession of it was not really worth so great an 
expense and outlay of men and money. Accordingly 
the orders given to the commandant simply were, that he 
should vindicate the honor of his flag by making such ■ 
a resistance as his resources enabled him to make, and 
then, if necessary, abandon the fort. This he would 
have done at any rate on the Monday after the attack, 
and thus would have saved South Carolina the half 
million dollars which her two days of empty glory 
cost her. 

On the 17th of April Governor Letcher of Virginia 
issued a proclamation, in which he recognized the inde- 
pendence of the rebel States, and ordered that all armed 
volunteers, regiments and companies in Virginia should 
hold themselves in readiness for efficient service. On the 
same day the Convention, which had been summoned to 
discuss the policy of secession, passed an ordinance 
repealing the ratification of the Constitution of the 
United States by the State of Virginia, and resuming 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 123 

all tlie rights and powers granted under said Constitu- 
tion. 

Immediately after tliese events President Lincoln 
issued a proclamation, calling for seventy-five thousand 
troops to suppress the rebellion, and supimoning the 
Federal Congress to meet at Washington on the ensuing 
fourth of July, 1861, in extraordinary session. 



124 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER YI. 

ENTHUSIASM OF THE REBEL STATES PROJECTED CONQUEST OF WASHING- 
TON PROOFS THAT IT WAS CONTEMPLATED WHY IT WAS NOT ACCOM- 
PLISHED SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND FEDERAL TROOPS ORDERED OUT 

DAVIS ISSUES LETTERS OF MARQUE AND REPRISAL PROCLAMATION OF 

GOV. LETCHER SECESSION OF VIRGINIA BLOCKADE OF THE SOUTHERN 

PORTS ASPECT OF THE LOYAL STATES FIRST IN THE FIELD — THE 

ATTACK ON FEDERAL TROOPS IN BALTIMORE FURY OF THE REBEL MOB 

RESULTS OF THE ATTACK — ITS INFAMY — THE FEDERAL FORTS ARE GAR- 
RISONED — SECESSION OF MISSOURI — RAPID MARCH OF FEDERAL TROOPS 

TO WASHINGTON THE CHICAGO ZOUAVES THE GALLANT ELLSWORTH 

ORIGIN OF THE TERM ZOUAVE HISTORY OF THE FRENCH ZOUAVES IN 

ALGERIA, IN THE CRIMEA, IN ITALY THEIR PECULIAR CHARACTERIS- 
TICS AMERICAN ZOUAVES. 

The fall of Sumter, together witli the proclamation of 
President Lincoln summoning a large body of troops to 
convene at the Federal capital, which followed that event, 
appear to have inflamed the military ardor of the rebel 
States to a prodigious degree; and gorgeous visions of 
extensive conquests rose to their excited views. Promi- 
nent among these -was the immediate attack and capture 
of Washington. 

It has been seriously doubted whether the leaders of 
the secession movement ever really entertained that 
ambitious purpose, and especially at so early a stage of 
the Rebellion. It has been asserted that their views 
were always confined to the defence of the invaded 
territory of these States, whicb had become identified 
with the secession movement ; and that the project of 
the threatened march on Washington was the sole 
product of the groundless terrors of the inhabitants of 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



125 



the North. This supposition is erroneous. At the 
period of the bombardment of Fort Sumter, it was boldly 
asserted by the rebel leaders that their next movement, 
after the reduction of that fortress, would be the capture 
of the Federal capital. Mr. Walker, the Secretary of 
War to the rebel Government, declared on the 12th of 
April at Montgomery, that no man could prophesy where 
the war would end; but that he would predict that the 
flag of the Southern Confederacy would float in splendor 
over the dome of the capitol at Washington before the 
first day of May. He moreover warned the "hostile 
Yankees" that, if they were not careful how they insulted 
the chivalry of the South, they would ere long see that 
flag waving in defiant majesty over Faneuil Hall itself. 

A similar sentiment was expressed at the same time 
by many of the leading journals of the South. The 
Richmond Inquirer declared that nothing was more 
probable than that President Davis would soon march a 
triumphant army through North Carolina and Virginia 
into Washington. The Richmond Examiner asserted 
that Washington was perfectly within the power of 
Maryland and Virginia, and added that the whole popula- 
tion of the South desired, with the utmost unanimity, the 
achievement of that enterprise. It was a singular fact 
that, when the troops of North Carolina proceeded to 
join the rebel camp in Virginia, it was with the- express 
expectation that their destination was an immediate 
attack on the Federal Capital. Other Southern journals 
were still more sanguine. The Ifillidgeville Recorder 
endeavored to incite the rebel Government to immediate 
action ; declared that the Confederate States must possess 
Washington ; and insisted that it was folly to imagine 
that it could be permitted to remain any longer the head- 
quarters of the "Lincoln Government." Southern pride 



126 A HISTORY OF 

demanded that that city shoiild not continue under the 
jurisdiction of the Federal Government. The Charleston 
Courier asserted, on the 14th of April, that the desire to 
capture Washington increased every hour among the 
valiant and patriotic citizens of the South, 

Similar authorities might be accumulated to a very 
large extent, to show how widely diffused and how 
intensely ardent this wish to possess the Federal city was 
throughout the Southern States. That the rebel armies, 
therefore, did not make the attempt, was evidently the 
result, not of a want of inclination, but of a want of 
-ability ; and it is equally plain that this achievement 
formed a prominent element in the colossal plan of re- 
sistance, disorganization and ruin, which their leaders 
conceived, and which they were able to some extent to 
realize. 

Immediately after the proclamation of President Lincoln 
calling out seventy-five thousand men, the rebel Con- 
gress, then in session at Montgomery, authorized the 
raising of an additional force of thirty-two thousand men. 
Of this number. General Pillow declared that Tennessee 
alone would willingly furnish ten thousand. Alexander 
H. Stephens uttered the formidable boast that it would 
require seventy-five times seventy-five thousand soldiers 
to intimidate the South, and that even then "they would 
not stay intimidated." Jefferson Davis inflamed the 
warlike spirit of the rebels to a still intenser pitch by 
issuing, on the 17th of April, a Proclamation, in which 
he invited all those who might desire, by service in 
private armed vessels on the high seas, to aid the rebel 
Government in resisting what he termed a wanton and 
wicked aggression, to make application for letters of 
marque and reprisal, which would be issued under the 
seal of the Confederate States, and would be freely 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 



127 



gi-anted to tliose who furnislied the necessary securities 
for the observance of the laws of those States, The 
result of this proclamation was, that an eager host of 
thieves and pirates immediately sprang forward to obtain 
the benefit of the Proclamation, and enrich themselves 
by plundering under the cover of law and public justice. 
The Legislature of Virginia was at this period in ses- 
sion. That ancient Commonwealth had lono^ hesitated 
as to the policy which she would pursue in reference to 
Secession. Many potent considerations bound her to the 
old Union, with which all her most glorious and honora- 
ble associations were connected. But her present in- 
terests, and especially the identity of her sympathies 
with the South in reference to slavery, led her to cling 
to the faction of the Kebels. In addition to this, her 
people were greatly influenced by the intrigues of a 
number of detestable traitors, of whom Ex-Secretary 
Floyd was the chief, who were active in their efforts to 
alienate the minds of the people from the Union. On 
the 18th of April John Letcher, Governor of the State, 
issued a Proclamation, in which he declared that the 
action of Mr. Lincoln in calling for an armed force of 
seventy-five thousand men was in effect a declaration of 
war ; that the President possessed no power to issue such 
a Proclamation ; that Congress alone was competent to 
fieclare war ; that therefore this act was illegal and un- 
constitutional ; and that the General Assembly of that 
State having so pronounced it, he, the Governor, then 
and there ordered all the armed volunteers within the 
State to hold themselves in readiness to enter upon mill 
tary duty against the threatened encroachments of the 
Federal Government. At the same period, the Conven- 
tion which had been summoned for the purpose of de- 
termining whether the State would join the Southern 



128 A HISTORY OF 

Confederacy or not, voted iu favor of Secession. There 
were but seven members who opposed the measure, and 
four of those seven came from Western Virginia. 

It had now become evident to the most obtuse and the 
most unwilling observer that the day of reconciliation 
had passed by ; and that the Federal Government had no 
other alternative left, in order to vindicate its own honor 
and suppress the rebellion, than the adoption of the 
most stringent and hostile measures. The blockade of 
all the Southern ports was immediately ordered and 
immediately executed. The great steamship Niagara, 
the pride of the American Navy, was stationed off 
Charleston harbor, where her heavy guns and her gallant 
crew would eifectually suspend the commerce of that 
city, the virulent hot- bed of Secession. The blockade 
of the Chesapeake was maintained by the steam frigate 
Minnesota, off Old Point Comfort ; by the Dawn and the 
Yankee, off Fortress Monroe ; by the Quaker City, off 
,the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay ; by the Montecello, 
off York river, by the Harriet Lane, off the mouth of 
James river. Other vessels were dispatched to Savan- 
nah, to Mobile, and to New Orleans, whose trade was 
effectually sealed and suspended by the terror of their 
guns. 

At this period the loyal States presented to the eye of 
an observer a strange and unaccustomed spectacle. Their 
vast and rich domains, usually the scenes of peaceful 
pursuits, of manufacturing industry, of agricultural thrift, 
were now teeming with those incidents which are con- 
nected with warlike operations. The Proclamation of 
Mr. Lincoln summoning seventy-five thousand men to 
the field, infused into the nation a new spirit. That 
number of men which, in comparison with the more 
colossal requisitions of later times seems insignificant, 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION". 129 

then appeared to be an enormous armament ; and tlie 
business of recruiting, of arming, of drilling, so un- 
familiar to our pacific eyes and ears, became visible and 
audible on every hand. In a very short time the neces- 
sary number were enlisted, and were ready to march tb 
the Federal Capital. 

The honor of having responded with commendable 
celerity to the Proclamation of Mr. Lincoln, and of 
having been among the first in the field, belongs to a 
regiment of Massachusetts' volunteers, and to a body of 
troops collected and enlisted in Philadelphia by Colonel 
Small. On Friday, the 19th of April, these troops com- 
menced their journey from that city. They filled thirty- 
six cars, and arrived without any accident or detention 
at Baltimore, on their way to Washington. The loyalty 
of the chief city of Maryland had been justly suspected ; 
but no suspicions were entertained that the hostility of a 
portion of its inhabitants to the Union, would be de- 
veloped in so violent and so tragical a manner as in the 
end occurred. 

When the cars containing these troops arrived in 
Baltimore an immense assemblage had collected at the 
intersection of Gay and Pratt streets, for the purpose of 
making a hostile demonstration against them. The feel- 
ings which animated the crowd were readily ascertained 
and clearly apparent ; nevertheless the Massachusetts 
troops, who occupied the cars in the advance, being well 
armed and well disciplined, boldly confronted the danger, 
defied their assailants, and pressed on through the city. 
The majority of them succeeded in effecting their passage 
before the rioters were able to barricade the railway 
track. This they effected by loading it with heavy 
anchors obtained in the vicinity. This movement inter- 
cepted the further progress of the Pennsylvania troops^ 
9 



130 . A HISTORY OF 

who, till this period, had remained in the cars. As they 
were without arms or equipments of any kind, they 
would have been unable to resist a hostile force much 
superior to themselves in numbers. After a period of 
uncertainty and suspense, however, they descended from 
the cars and formed in line in the street adjoining the 
depot. Then the order to advance was given. This 
forward movement was the signal for the attack of the 
mob — a vast assemblage, who filled the neighboring 
streets and spaces, at whose front was borne a Confederate 
flag. They discharged a volley of stones at the troops, 
which compelled the head of the column to fall back. 
Gradually the attack became more general ; and those 
among the soldiers who were provided with arms, dis- 
charged them in self-defence. But the number of these 
was comparatively small ; and soon a deluge of stones 
and the discharge of pistols and guns from the crowd, 
assailed the defenceless troops. The latter, after a sliort 
interval of hand-to hand combats, were collected together 
in a train of cars, an engine was attached, and their 
return toward Philadelphia was commenced. A number 
had been wounded, several killed, and a still greater 
proportion were scattered during the mtlee. The latter 
afterward effected their escape with considerable delay 
and difficulty. The fact that the soldiers were without 
uniforms, which the regiment expected, to procure, 
together with arms, at "Washington, enabled many to 
elude the fury of the populace who would otherwise have 
become their victims. This attack on unarmed men 
engaged in so noble a service, by the inhabitants of a 
prominent city of the Union, was one of the most des- 
picable acts recorded in the annals of a war, so profusely 
disgraced as this became, by innumerable deeds of 
infamy, treachery and cruelty. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 131 

The nation was surprised and alarmed by this unex- 
pected display of treasonable sentiments at Baltimore; 
and the immediate effect was to spread the flame of 
patriotic ardor more widely, and induce the administra- 
tion at Washington to adopt more active measures. 
Forts McHenry, Monroe, and Pickens were quickly 
furnished with stronger garrisons ; and camps of instruc- 
tion were formed in various places for the purpose of 
drilling those troops who, in answer to the President's 
Proclamation, had devoted themselves to the service of 
their country. It soon became evident that a much 
greater number of these men were ready to respond to 
the appeal than had been called for; and the large 
number of regiments which arrived successively at 
Washington, removed all apprehensions in regard to the 
immediate safety of that city from the minds of the 
President and his cabinet. 

On the 3d of May 1861, the Legislature of Missouri con- 
vened, and a message was received by them from the 
Chief Magistrate of the State. In that document Gover- 
nor Claiborne Jackson declared that Mr. Lincoln, by 
calling out troops for the purpose of subduing the seces- 
sion movement, had committed an unconstitutional and 
illegal act. He proceeded to defend the right of seces- 
sion ; and maintained that the proceedings jof the States 
which had withdrawn from the Union had been per- 
formed in the exercise of an undoubted right ; that the 
interests of Missouri were identical with the other slave- 
holding States ; and that the similarity of their social and 
political institutions clearly demonstrated that it was the 
duty of Missouri, at the proper time, to follow their ex- 
ample. He concluded by recommending that the Legis- 
lature should make such appropriations as would enable 
the State authorities to resist any attempt which might 



L_. 



132 A HISTORY OF 

be made by tbe Federal Government to enforce the 
Federal laws. This message was the commencement 
and cause of that long series of desperate and bloody 
events which afterward occurred in Missouri in connec- 
tion with the Southern Eebellion, and which increased 
in importance as time progressed. 

Among the large number of troops which the Procla- 
mation of President Lincoln drew forth for the defence 
of the Union, there was one peculiar class of soldiers, 
whose name, whose discipline, and whose history consti- 
tute one of the military novelties of the present age. A 
year before the outbreak of the rebellion, the American 
public were surprised and gratified by the appearance 
and martial drill of a corps of men, organized in Chicago, 
calling themselves Zouaves. The term was new and 
harsh to the majority of Americans; but to those who 
were familiar with the military events of recent times in 
Europe and Africa, it conveyed a startling and impres- 
sive meaning. The Chicago Zouaves were commanded 
by a youth of no ordinary spirit and ability ; and the 
inhabitants of the principal cities of the Union admired, 
and with justice praised, the peculiar qualities and the 
soldier-like virtues of the gallant Ellsworth. When the 
rebellion elicited the Proclamation of the President, the 
Chicago Zouaves did not tender their services to the 
country in a body, but their commander obtained in 
New York suitable materials for another corps, which he 
drilled in the old method, and upon whom he conferred 
much of the old exactitude and perfection. This corps 
now marched to Washington under the orders of Ells- 
worth. As this peculiar arm of the service was a novelty 
in its way — as the origin, the history, and the achieve 
ments of the European Zouaves, after whom they were 
named and modelled, are a topic of no ordinary interest — 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLION. 133 

we will here briefly digress from the direct current of 
events, and introduce an episode in reference to that 
subject. 

What the Tenth Legion was to Coesar, what the Jani- 
zaries were to the Sultans, what the Imperial Guard was 
to Napoleon I., that the Zouaves proved to be, both to 
Louis Philippe and to Napoleon III. The word Zouave 
was derived or corrupted from the Arabic Zawaioah, 
which is the name of a tribe of Kabyles in the province 
of Algiers. These people have resided for generations 
in the most remote and mountainous . portions of the 
Jurjura ; and were remarkable for their superior industry, 
their bravery, and their love of freedom. They were of 
Arab descent, and they alone, of all the inhabitants of 
Algeria, had never been cpmpletely subjugated by the 
Turkish power. After the invasion of Algeria by the 
French, it became necessary for the security and per- 
manency of their authority that a large and formidable 
force should be constantly maintained under arms in 
that province. Already had the Zawawah contingent in 
the Algerian army become distinguished for their 
superior qualities as soldiers, for their excellent disci- 
pline, their desperate courage, their willingness to endure 
privation and suffering in the execution of the most 
difficult and dangerous commissions. 

In July, 1830, Louis Philippe appointed Marshal 
Clausel Governor of Algeria ; and that officer determined 
to organize a native corps of cavalry and infantry as one 
of the first acts of his administration. By a decree 
bearing date October 1, 1830, he created two battalions, 
to be composed of such materials; and as the martial 
fame of the Zawawahs already stood high, he took care 
that the greater proportion of these new troops should 
be composed of them. But natives of all sorts were 



134 A HISTOBY OF 

admitted into their ranks, without any distinction of 
origin, religion, or race: inhabitants of the mountains, 
and dwellers on the plains, Kabyles, Arabs, Negroes, 
Turks ; and thus it was that this heterogeneous corps, to 
whom the name of Zouaves was then applied, obtained 
that anomalous, rude, and ferocious character, which has 
ever distinguished them. Together with the savage 
cjualities which they possessed as natives, they soon com- 
bined that military efi&ciency which was derived from 
their being drilled by the best French officers. Some of 
the most eminent generals in the French service were 
connected, at an early period of their career, with this 
remarkable corps. One of their first commanders was 
Lamoriciere, who afterward became illustrious. Subse- 
quently they were led to battle by Cavaignac ; then by 
St. Arnaud, and later still, by Baraquay d'Hilliers and 
Bosquet. 

The Zouaves of Algeria distinguished themselves in 
many of those bloody conflicts which attended the subju- 
gation of the Arab tribes, who, under the heroic Abdel 
Kaderj endeavored to rescue their country from the 
tyranny of its French invaders. Scarcely six weeks had 
elapsed after their organization as a separate corps, when 
they took part in the famous expedition against Medeah, 
under Marshal Clausel. The French on this occasion 
were compelled to retreat; and nothing saved them from 
being cut to pieces in a narrow defile except the daunt- 
less courage of the Zouaves, who, passing to the rear, set 
up their hideous war shouts, fell upon the victorious 
Kabyles with the ferocity of tigers, and hewed them to 
the earth. This achievement at once gave them an 
honorable fame and position in the French army. In 
every subsequent service of danger, in every expedition 
of difficulty, they were ordered to take part ; and on all 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 135 

occasions they behaved with a degree of valor which 
won for them the confidence and admiration of their 
foreign masters. Their drill was remarkable for its pre- 
cision and energy; and their costume, which was a 
singular mixture of Oriental dress with French colors, 
contributed to render them still more unique and extra- 
ordinary. A portion of that activity in which they ex- 
celled all the French soldiers in Algeria, was to ^ be 
attributed to the convenience and freedom of their dress. 
It gave ample room for the use of the limbs, and was 
utterly unlike the usual attire of European and American 
soldiers, by which the body is so squeezed, hampered 
and choked, as to render ease and vigor of movement 
almost impossible. 

The Zouaves took part in the expeditions against 
Oran in 1835, and against Mouznia in 1836. They 
especially distinguished themselves at the siege of Con- 
stantine, where they led the first column of assault and 
greatly contributed to the victory. In all the conflicts 
in 1843 and 1844, which took place between the French 
and Abdel Kader, the Zouaves held a conspicuous place. 
Their peculiar habits fitted them admirably to resist and 
to vanquish the Arab soldiery. At the capture of 
Smalah, and especially at the famous battle of Isly, they 
fought with a heroism which received, as it richly de- 
served, the enthusiastic plaudits of their more civilized 
masters. 

After tne submission of Abdel Kader in 1847, there 
remained little opportunity in Algeria for the display of 
the peculiar qualities of the Zouaves. Their chief service 
then consisted in maintaining garrisons for the French in 
remote and dangerous positions, exposed to the sudden 
attacks of the conquered Arabs. In 1852 their corps 
were reorganized ; they were armed with rifles ; and 



136 A HISTORY OF 

another regiment was added to their numbers, thus fnaking 
three regiments, each consisting of three battalions. 
Then at length they were transferred from their native 
soil to that of France. The fame of their heroism, so 
strangely united with ferocity, preceded them ; and they 
were everywhere the objects of curiosity not unmingled 
with fear. In 1854, when the war in the Crimea com- 
menced, they proceeded with the French forces to the 
East. The bloody struggles of Alma, Balaklava, In- 
kerman, and Sevastopol, witnessed their extraordinary 
qualities; and in the more recent war in Italy they 
maintained their ancient fame by prodigious displays of 
their ancient valor. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 137 



CHAPTEE YII. 

THE SECESSION OF TENNESSEE — PARSON BROWNLOW — DECLARATION OP 

WAR BY THE CONFEDERATE CONGRESS SKIRMISH NEAR gT. LOUIS 

SECESSION ELEMENT IN BALTIMORE FORT MCHENRY — SECESSION OP 

NORTH CAROLINA — ADJOURNMENT OP THE REBEL CONGRESS TO CON- 
VENE AT RICHMOND — ASSEMBLY OF FEDERAL TROOPS AT WASHINGTON 

THE OCCUPATION OF ALEXANDRIA ASSASSINATION OF COLONEL 

ELLSWORTH — SKETCH OF HIS CAREER HIS LIFE IN CHICAGO — FAMOUS 

TOUR OP THE CHICAGO ZOUAVES — ELLSWORTH'S MILITARY TASTES AND 

TALENTS HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS — HIS 

PECULIARITIES AS A SPEAKER HE ORGANIZES THE NEW YORK FIRE 

ZOUAVES — HIS DEATH A LOSS TO THE CAUSE OF THE UNION — GENERAL 

ROBERT Patterson's campaign in Virginia — crossing the potomao 

AT WILLIAMSPORT BATTLE OP FALLING WATERS PURSUIT OF THE 

enemy to HAINSVILLE — TO MARTINSBURG THE MARCH TO BUNKER 

HILL TO CHARLESTOWN — OCCUPATION OF HARFER'S FERRY — RESULTS 

OF THE CAMPAIGN. 

On the 6tli of May, 1861, another defection took place 
among the States of the Union, and another member was 
added to the cluster of apostate communities. On that 
day the Legislature of Tennessee passed the ordinance of 
secession, and adopted the terms of an alliance with the 
Confederate States. The instrument by which tliis act 
was accomplished was absurdly called a "Declaration of 
Independence ;" and it set forth, as all its predecessors had 
in substance set forth, that the citizens of that State 
maintained the right of every free and independent 
people, to alter or abolish their form of government as 
they pleased ; and that, in the exercise of this right, they, 
of Tennessee, ordained and declared that all laws which 
had heretofore constituted the State a member of the 



138 A HISTORY OF 

Federal Union, were thereby abrogated and annulled; 
and that henceforth the State should become, what they 
had indeed immediately before declared it had always 
previously been, "a free, sovereign and independent 
community." The announcement of this event elicited 
various and opposite expressions of sentiment throughout 
Tennessee, for a large Union element existed among her 
population. Parson Brownlow, the well-known editor 
of the Knoxville Whig, gave utterance to his indignation 
in terms extremely forcible and appropriate, in a torrent 
of invective which immediately afterward graced his 
journal. He stigmatized the act of secession as " a black 
deed," perpetrated by traitors who had taken a solemn 
oath to support the Constitution of the United States ; 
and he affirmed that the ordinance itself was unconstitu- 
tional, unjustifiable, "a vile act of usurpation." He 
characterized the agents of the movement as " unprincipled 
politicians ;" and for this resolute and patriotic conduct 
he afterward became the victijn of the vengeance of the 
rebel autliorities. 

On the 7th of May the Congress of the Confederate 
States convened at Montgomery, passed an act by which 
that important body recognized and declared the existence 
of war with the United States ; and affirmed that hostili- 
ties had been begun against them by Abraham Lincoln, 
which it was their duty to resist and to suppress. The 
falsehood of this assertion stands out so plainly on the 
face and front of it, that none except rebels and traitors 
could be so blind as not readily to detect it. 

It was in the State of Missouri that the warlike 
elements of the two parties first came into active collision. 
On the 10th of May a brigade of the militia of that State, 
commanded by General Frost, encamped on the western 
outskirts of St. Louis, and defied the forces of the Federal 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION^. 139 

Government. The latter were then under tlie orders of 
Captain Lyon; who, before running the hazards of a 
battle against superior numbers, wisely resolved to try 
the effect upon the rebels of a formal demand to 
surrender. That demand was made, accompanied by the 
assurance that those who laid down their arms should be 
treated with humanity. The gallant Frost immediately 
complied with this requisition. Eight hundred men 
became prisoners of war, and were escorted into the 
city of St. Louis by the Federal troops. During this 
march an unfortunate conflict took place between the 
latter and a portion of the populace, in which about 
twenty persons in the crowd were killed. The captive 
State troops were afterward released on parole, having 
taken the oath not to serve again against the United 
States. Their of&cers, their camp equipage, their artillery, 
and their ammunition, were retained. These events 
formed the prelude to other and more important events, 
which subsequently occurred in that distant portion of 
the Union. 

Meanwhile the proclamation of President Lincoln 
calling out seventy-five thousand troops for three months, 
had been responded to throughout all the loyal States. 
Thousands of men volunteered, whose superfluous ser- 
vices could not be accepted. The largest proportion of 
troops was required from New York and Pennsylvania ; 
from the former eleven regiments, from the latter ten, 
were demanded. By the 15th of May Baltimore was 
occupied by a numerous Federal force commanded by 
General Butler. The secession element was still vigorous 
in that city, and it was strengthened from day to day 
by the treasonable conduct and influence of Marshal 
Kane, the head of the police force. Fortunately, Fort 
McHenry, which commands the city of Baltimore, was 



140 A HISTORY OF 

well provided with artillery, men and stores, and was in 
the possession of Federal officers. Its formidable guns, 
which in^n hour might render the city a smouldering 
ruin, produced a beneficial effect in suppressing the trea- 
sonable spirit of rebellion. 

On the 21st of May the State of North Carolina consum- 
mated her misfortune and disgrace by seceding from the 
Federal Government and uniting with the Southern Con- 
federacy. She was the last in the order of time to 
perpetrate this ignominious deed. Eleven States had 
preceded her — South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mis- 
sissippi, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, 
Virginia and Tennessee. Immediately after receiving 
official notice of the defection of North Carolina, the 
Congress at Montgomery adjourned — greatly elated by 
the success of their operations — to convene at Eichmond 
on the 20th of July ensuing. 

By the 20th of May the Federal Government possessed 
the number of troops called for by the proclamation of 
the President ; and was prepared to commence active 
operations agaiiast the rebels, and invade their territory. 
The several loyal States had responded with alacrity to 
the requisition of the Chief Magistrate ; and the soldiers 
who assembled at Washington, as well as those who 
occupied several positions in Maryland and Virginia, 
were eager to meet the enemy. On the 23d, the order 
was given to advance from the Federal Capital to those 
regiments which had been selected to perform this 
service. The purpose of the movement was to take 
possession of Alexandria, on the opposite side of the 
Potomac, and attack and dislodge any rebel force which 
might have been posted on Arlington Heights. Eight 
thousand infantry, two companies of cavalry, and two 
sections of Sherman's artillery batallion, crossed the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 141 

Long Bridge, under the command of General Mansfield. 
Four New New York regiments, which had been 
quartered at Georgetown, proceeded at the same time 
over the Chain Bridge, under the orders of General 
McDowell. The New York Zouaves embarked on board 
the " Baltimore" and " Mount Vernon," and proceeding 
down the Potomac, reached Alexandria at five o'clock in 
the morning. At six they landed, and formed in line 
upon the dock. 

The main body of the Federal troops entered Alexan- 
dria at the same time. The first Michigan regiment 
immediately advanced to the railroad depot and took 
possession of it. They also surprised and captured a 
troop of rebel cavalry numbering one hundred. The 
Zouaves, commanded by Ellsworth, proceeded at once to 
active service, and commenced by destroying the railroad 
track to Kichraond. Their next aim was to take posses- 
sion of the telegraph, ofiice, and intercept its connection 
with the rebel camp. Ellsworth now led the way, but 
his gallant career was destined to be of short duration. 
It had been written in the mysterious book of fate, that 
his should be one of those brilliant but transient lives, 
which, while they elicit the admiration of men, will 
forever be attended by emotions of regret. As the 
Zouaves were advancing in double quick time up the 
street, Ellsworth observed a secession flag waving from 
the summit of the Marshal House, a prominent hotel of 
the place. To such a man such a spectacle could not be 
other than most offensive, and as his fearless eye gazed 
upon the floating emblem, he impulsively exclaimed, " That 
flag must come down !" Accompanied by a few privates 
he rushed into the house, ascended to the roof, eagerly 
cut down the flag, and taking possession of it, commenced 
his descent. He was met in the hall by Jackson, the 



142 A HISTOKY OF 

enraged proprietor of the house, who, armed with a 
double-barreled gun, leveled it at Ellsworth, and dis- 
charged it. The instrument of death was but too well 
aimed. Its contents entered the body of Ellsworth, 
between the third and fifth ribs, and tore his vitals with 
destructive force. He fell, attempted to open his dress and 
to staunch the flowing blood ; but rapidly the pallor of 
death spread over his features, his hands became power- 
less, he sank upon the floor, gasped for breath, and quickly 
expired. Before this event occurred his assassin had 
himself been slain ; for a private nanied Brownell, who 
had accompanied Ellsworth to the roof, the moment after 
his commander was shot, leveled his musket at Jackson 
and discharged it. The rebel and the fallen hero died at 
the same moment, under the same roof, within a few feet 
of each other. The body of the former was soon riddled 
with balls by the frantic Zouaves, and his brains scattered 
over the scene of his crime and his punishment. The 
remains of Ellsworth were subsequently conveyed to 
"Washington to be embalmed. 

Immediately afterward the Federal troops occupied 
Alexandria without further opposition. A portion of 
the population, apprehensive of a hostile invasion, had 
previously deserted the town. The seventh New York 
regiment, with others, took possession of Arlington 
Heights. They met no resistance or interruption in the 
execution of this task, and they commenced to throw up 
intrenchments. Three thousand men were constantly 
employed in the works. General McDowell retained the 
command of all the troops which were placed beyond the 
Potomac, and superintended the necessary operations. 

It is usual when a popular favorite passes away, for 
his admirers to magnify and exaggerate his merits to 
such an absurd and extravagant degree that, could he 



THE SOUTHEKN REBELLION. 143 

return to life again, it would be impossible for him to 
recognize his own portrait in their delineations; and 
were he honest he would exclaim with astonishment, that 
he was not himself aware that he had ever been so wise 
or so good, or so great a man. This declaration, which 
applies with truth to nine tenths of those whom mankind 
blindly but often unanimously agree to applaud, was not 
applicable to the case of Ellsworth. The report of his 
death was the signal for the outburst of such a deluge 
of regret and praise, as has rarely been accumulated upon 
the memory and the grave of any departed hero ; but he 
really deserved it. He was in many respects, though 
young, a remarkable man, possessed of rare qualities, and 
adorned by great virtues. 

Elmer E. Ellsworth was a native of Massachusetts, and 
at the period of his death was about twenty-six years of 
age. In his youth his father suffered serious reverses in 
business ; and thus he was thrown upon his own resources, 
and initiated into a career of privation and toil, which 
commenced almost with his boyhood. The hope of 
finding a more congenial and facile field for pushing his 
fortunes induced him, as it has induced thousands of 
other aspiring and generous spirits, to journey westward ; 
and in 1852 he reached Chicago, at that time the rising 
commercial metropolis of the West. But he was desti- 
tute of money and friends, without any profession or 
trade, and his first experiences of stern life in his new 
abode were sufficiently dark and cheerless. But he 
possessed the inestimable boons of health, youth and 
hope, and with the aid of these he soon acquired friends, 
and hewed out for himself an honorable name and a 
means of living. His pursuits from time to time were 
somewhat diversified. At one period he commenced the 
study of law in the office of Mr. Lincoln, at Springfield. 



144 A HISTOEY OF 

He had always felt a great fondness for military life, but 
no scope had yet been afforded to his martial aspirations. 

When the exploits of the French Zouaves at Sevastopol 
excited the surprise and admiration of the world, they 
kindled the kindred sympathy and ardor of Ellsworth. 
He studied the principles and peculiarities of their drill 
with intense interest, and conceived the design of raising 
from the large circle of friends whom he had acquired 
among the young men of Chicago, a company who should 
imitate, and perhaps even emulate, the perfection of the 
genuine Zouave drill. He succeeded in his purpose ; 
many of the most estimable and adrairabJe youths of that 
city joined his company, and some months were spent 
by them and their young captain in laborious and 
assiduous drilling. At length Ellsworth found the grand 
conception which he had formed realized. * The Chicago 
Zouaves, under his guidance, attained a degree of exacti- 
tude and skill in the manual of arms, such as had never 
before been seen in America, and which perhaps could 
be found alone in Europe among the genuine Zouaves 
from Algiers. 

It was very natural that Ellsworth should be proud of 
his handiwork, and that he should desire to exhibit to 
the world how much could be accomplished by industry 
and perseverance in that department of mental and 
physical effort. He published a respectful challenge to 
the military corps in the United States, inviting them to 
a trial of skill. Soon afterward, that memorable tour 
was made by him and his associates, through the chief 
cities and towns of the United States, which formed one 
of the most extraordinary military events of this age. 
But it should not be imagined that this famous expedi- 
tion was undertaken simply for the purpose of display. 
In all that Ellsworth did — such was the inherent nobility 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 145 

and elevation of his nature — there was a lofty and noble 
aim. The chief design, therefore, of that journey was to 
show, by a plain and practical example, how superior 
scientific drilling was in giving efficiency and power to 
the soldier, to the ordinary method ; to illustrate what 
the great principle of military training should be, a 
principle of which not one commander or soldier in a 
thousand had the slightest conception, namely, that a 
jDcrfect identity of spirit and feeling should exist, for the 
time being, between the commanding officer and those to 
whom his orders are given ; as also to illustrate how the 
true soldier should inure himself to bodily fatigue and 
self-denial ; how the accomplished soldier will also 
become an accomplished gymnast ; and how, as much as 
any thing else, temperance in eating and drinking is not 
only promotive of bodily health and vigor, but is 
absolutely indispensable to it. 

It was during the progress of this expedition that 
another remarkable quality of Ellsworth was revealed to 
the admiring public. This was his extraordinary power 
over the minds of his associates. He possessed that 
faculty in a high degree, which is always an element of 
intellectual greatness — the faculty of controling the wills 
of others around him. There was also an originality, 
we may even say grandeur and dignity, in his manner, 
his voice, his whole person, while engaged in the process 
of drilling, which was a triumph of martial genius and 
beauty. At his first word of command, uttered by a 
voice singularly manly but melodious, with an accent 
remarkably firm and crisp, every eye brightened, every 
head became erect, each man instantly became himself, 
in all his physical and mental fullness ; and then followed 
such a display of skill and precision in the most elabo- 
rate and difficult species of drill known to the profession 
10 



146 A HISTORY OF 

of arras, as was rarely witnessed. ThougTi not large in 
person, Ellsworth exhibited as much graceful sublimity 
and physical grandeur in a field exercise, as any orator 
could display in the midst of his most imposing and 
impassioned flight of eloquence. Nor will this result 
appear anomalous when we remember the masterly 
thoughts which lay at the foundation of his military 
system. When he commenced his training oi the 
Chicago Zouaves, he trained himself with a degree of 
rigor which was astonishing. He practiced the manual 
of arms with so much industry, that he became one of 
the best marksmen and ablest swordsmen in America. 
He investigated the theory of every motion with particu- 
lar reference' to the principles of anatomical science; and 
so^ arranged each movement that it became the logical 
and legitimate groundwork of the one which succeeded 
it. Thus it was that he introduced a sort of scientific 
unity and harmony into the manual of arms which had 
not before existed in it. This was the stroke of a 
master ; this, the indication and the presence of superior, 
creative genius — a genius similar in nature to that which 
the young Napoleon exhibited when, to the horror of all 
the military drones and fossils of Europe, he not only 
constantly vanquished the Austrians in Italy, but van- 
quished them in utter defiance of the established and 
immemorial usages of the military art. So far had 
Ellsworth trained himself, in order that he might suc- 
cessfully train others, that a photograph of his naked 
arm, taken at the period of his visit to Philadelphia, was 
a model of anatomical and physical beauty ; it was an 
arm whose formidable accumulation of muscles and 
sinews, and whose faultless proportion of outline pre- 
sented such a picture as Michael Angelo or Eubens 
would have painted, when representing on canvas the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



147 



ancient Greek conception of the forms of Hector or 
Hercules. 

After tlie return of the Chicago Zouaves to that city, 
Ellsworth engaged with zeal in the Presidential campaign 
which ensued ; and strange as it may appear; this youth, 
so richly gifted as a soldier, proved himself as highly 
endowed for another sjDhere. He distinguished himself 
as one of the most effective and popular of the orators, 
who, in the State of Hlinois, advocated the claims of Mr. 
Lincoln to the Presidency. As a speaker he was 
peculiar for his strong, clear sense, mixed with a degree 
of wit and repartee such as few orators possess. After 
the termination of the campaign, and when the war- 
clouds began to darken the political horizon, and roll 
up with portentous gloom from the rebellious South, he 
tendered his services to the new President. He then 
proceeded to the city of New York in order to select, 
from the numerous body of firemen in that city, the 
materials for an entire regiment of Zouaves. Having 
obtained these, he removed to Fort Hamilton for the 
purpose of drilling. After his new recruits had become 
partially fit for service, through his untiring labors, he 
proceeded with them to "Washington, Their subsequent 
career is involved in the history of the events which 
ensued in the vicinity of the Federal CapitsJ. Had this 
gallant young commander survived to take part in the 
battle of Bull Eun, it is not improbable that the presence 
and influence of his dauntless courage on the field, might 
have diminished, though it could not have averted, the 
horrors and the ignominy of that struggle. 

It is proper that at this stage of our history, we should 
narrate the chief incidents connected with the three months 
campaign of the Federal forces in Virginia, under the 
command of General Eobert Patterson. On the 30th of 



L_ 



148 A HISTORY OF 

June, 1861, the different brigades comprising the divi- 
sion were consolidated into one body, preparatory to 
their crossing the Potomac. Two enterprises of import- 
ance to the Federal cause, were assigned by popular 
opinion and popular wishes, to this portion of the Union 
forces. The first was the expulsion of the Eebels under 
Johnston from Harper's Ferry ; the second was inter- 
cepting the march of that general to Manassas, and pre- 
venting the junction of his troops with those commanded 
by General Beauregard. Neither of these purposes was 
ultimately accomplished. When the Union forces, nearly 
tAventy thousand strong, began to move toward Virginia, 
instead of advancing directly to Harper's Ferry, for the 
achievement of the first of these enterprises, the route 
taken was toward Williamsport. The enemy were left 
in undisturbed possession of Harper's Ferry, until, at a 
later period, when the Rebel generals perceived the 
greater importance of concentrating their forces at 
Manassas, General Johnston evacuated the place, having 
previously destroyed a vast amount of Federal property, 
and the public works erected there. After its evacua- 
tion, General Patterson, instead of intercepting, if his 
force were sufficiently large for that purpose, the march of 
Johnston toward Manassas, proceeded to occupy the 
deserted and desolate town ; and entered it on the very 
day on which the battle of Manassas was fought, and by 
the very road on which the Rebel general had marched 
from it. It was thus that neither of the enterprises 
anticipated by the popular will was achieved by the divi- 
sion of General Patterson. 

It was on the 2d of July, that his troops crossed the 
Potomac by the ford at Williamsport. The process 
began at dawn of day, and continued until near nightfall. 
Before the fording commenced, a skirmish took place 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 149 

between the Federal pickets, wliicli had been thrown 
over the river on the preceding day, and the Berkley 
Border Guard. General Abercrombie's brigade were in 
the advance of the Federal forces; and having crossed the 
Potomac, they continued their march on the turnpike 
leading from Williamsport to Martinsburg, across the 
neck of land which is formed by the bend of the river, 
which takes place at that point. The pickets of the 
enemy were first seen at Falling Waters, five miles dis- 
tant from Williamsport. They retired, and about a mile 
beyond, the encounter took place which has been 
designated as the battle of Falling Waters. This im- 
posing title was applied to a small but pretty stream, 
whose limpid waters flow over a mill-dam, and perform the 
useful function of filling the race, which turns the wheels 
of a solitary grist mill. It was situated a short distance 
from the Potomac. The skirmish which ensued was 
sustained on the Federal side by a portion of Abercrom- 
bie's brigade, consisting of the eleventh Pennsylvania 
and first Wisconsin regiments, McMullen's Independent 
Eangers, the Philadelphia City Troop, and Perkins' 
battery of six guns. After a short but spirited engage- 
ment the Rebels were routed, and were pursued for the 
distance of two miles as far as the village of Hainesville. 
The rear guard of the enemy were about being captured, 
when orders arrived from General Patterson to stop the 
pursuit. Both the battle and the chase occupied nearly 
two hours. The Rebels were commanded by Colonel, 
afterward General, Jackson ; and his forces in the action 
comprised an entire brigade. The Federal troops then 
proceeded to encamp ; and occupied the position which 
Jackson had deserted. On the next day they advanced 
to Martinsburg, which the enemy evacuated at their 
approach, and it was thus occupied without opposition. 



., -^ 

150 *' A HIiTOEY OF 

The Federal loss at Falling Waters was insignificant, 
being two killed and five wounded. 

After a delay of nearly two weeks • at Martinsburg, by 
wliicli means the period of the enlistment of the Federal 
troops was very sensibly diminished, General Patterson 
again commenced to move. On the 15th of July the 
march began toward Winchester. Nearly the whole 
division proceeded as far as Bunker Hill, ten miles from 
Martinsburg, before nightfall. At Bunker Hill a small 
body of Eebels had been encamped, who retreated as the 
Federal troops approached. At this place, which is 
twelve miles distant from Winchester, the Federals re- 
mained for two days. Here the pickets of the armies of 
Johnston and Patterson were often within hailing dis- 
tance of each other. On the 17th of July the march was 
resumed by General Patterson before daylight, and the 
advance toward Winchester was continued ; but before 
his rear guard had entirely descended the sides of Bunker 
Hill, or had reached the road which led to Winchester, 
a counter march was ordered, the route to that town was 
abandoned, and the whole division proceeded twelve 
miles eastward. By this detour Winchester was left on 
the flank, and a wide area was opened by which General 
Johnston might transport his troops at any moment, 
and with perfect safety, toward Manassas. The Federal 
forces were placed in camp at Charlestown ; and as soon 
as Johnston became assured that this flank movement 
was not intended to operate against him, and that there 
was no danger that he would be attacked in his entrench- 
ments at Winchester, he left a small detachment to 
occupy them, and hastened to Manassas. After remain- 
ing four days at Charlestown, General Patterson en- 
larged the space between himself and the enemy, by pro- 
ceeding to Harper's Ferry, which had been evacuated and 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



151 



burned by the Eebels some time previous. Soon after 
this date the terra of tlie enlistment of the Federal troops, 
as well as the period of the appointment of General Patter- 
son as their commander, expired ; and thus the first army 
of the Potomac dissolved and vanished from view. If 
the men and the officers who composed this army had 
not achieved any result of importance to the cause of the 
Union, if they had not gained any victory of conse- 
quence over the forces of the enemy, it was not from the 
want of valor or patriotism on their part ; for on every 
occasion on which they were permitted to encounter the 
Rebels, or to exhibit the spirit which actuated them, 
they displayed the coolness and bravery of veterans, the 
zeal and ardor of patriots. 



152 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER YIII. 

THE ENCOUNTRRS WITH THE REBEL TROOPS AT FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE, AT 

ACQUIA CREEK, AT ROMNEY, AT FHILIPPI GALLANTRY OF COLONEL 

KELLEY BATTLE OF GREAT BETHEL CAUSES OF THE DISASTER 

GENERAL PIERCE — DEATH OF LIEUTENANT GREBLE SKETCH OF HIS 

CAREER — UNION SENTIMENT IN WESTERN VIRGINIA — THE NEW STATE OF 

KANAWHA — harper's FERRY DEVASTATED BY THE REBELS THE OHIO 

TROOPS FIRED ON NEAR VIENNA — RESULTS OF THE ATTACK — OPERA- 
TIONS OP GENERAL MCCLELLAN IN WESTERN VIRGINIA HIS AD- 
MIRABLE PLANS THE BATTLE OF RICH MOUNTAIN GENERAL OARNETT 

COLONEL ROSECRANZ RESULTS OF THE ENGAGEMENT SKETCH OF 

GENERAL MCCLELLAN — HIS CONDUCT DURING THE MEXICAN WAR 

HIS RECONNOISSANCE OP THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS HIS SECRET MIS- 
SION TO THE WEST INDIES HIS JOURNEY TO THE CRIMEA — HIS 

OFFICIAL REPORT AS COMMISSIONER — HIS SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENTS 

HE BECOMES COMMANDER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF OHIO 

Many incidents occur during the progress of a conflict 
like that against the rebels of the South, which excite 
intense interest, and which are in themselves not entirely 
destitute of importance at the period of their occurrence, 
but which, after the lapse of time, and when thej are 
considered in connection with the grand current of 
events, necessarily become of trivial and inferior conse- 
quence. Among such incidents it is proper here to 
enumerate the different skirmishes which took place 
between the detachments of Federal and Rebel troops at 
Fairfax Court House, at Acquia Creek, at the village of 
Bomney, and at Philippi in Western Virginia. At 
Romney a rebel camp had been formed. Colonel 
Wallace, who commanded one of the Indiana regiments, 
marched from Cumberland to Hampshire county and 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 153 

attacked the troops collected there. The Eebels were 
surprised by the movement and completely routed ; their 
camp equipage, their provisions and their arms were 
captured; and a decisive reverse inflicted on them by the 
bravery of Colonel Wallace and his men. A similar 
contest attended by a similar result took place at Philippi. 
The assault upon the enemy who held possession of that 
town, was led in person with great gallantry by Colonel 
Kelley. The Eebels were defeated and expelled from 
their position. The most important incident connected 
with this engagement was the wounding of the command- 
ing officer, who was shot in the breast. The wound was 
at first regarded as mortal ; but Colonel Kelley eventually 
recovered, to resume active service in defence of the 
Union, and to receive the rank of brigadier general, to 
which his merits fully entitled him. 

The first serious disaster to the Federal arms which 
occurred during the progress of the war, took place at 
Great Bethel, on the 10th of June, 1861. General Butler, 
who then commanded a large body of troops at Fortress 
Monroe, having ascertained that there was established a 
camp at a place ten miles distant from Hampton, which 
they had strongly fortified, determined to attack and 
dislodge them. He therefore ordered Colonel Duryec, 
with his regiment of Zouaves, and Colonel Townsend 
with his Albany troops, to cross the river at Hampton 
at midnight, and thence pursue their march toward Great 
Bethel. At the same time the regiment of Colonel 
Benedix, with a number of men from Vermont and 
Massachusetts, who were stationed at Newport News, 
were directed to advance so as to effect a junction with 
the forces sent from Fortress Monroe, at Little Bethel, 
three miles distant from the position of the enemy. 

The entire expedition seemes to have been badly 



154 A HISTORY OF 

planned. So great was the neglect of tlie commanding 
officer, that proper signals had not been arranged between 
the troops proceeding from Newport News and those 
from Fortress Monroe, by means of which thej could 
recognize each other in the darkness. Accordingly, the 
first disaster which took place resulted from the want of 
such recognition. Duryed's Zouaves passed Little Bethel 
between three and four o'clock in the morning. The 
regiment of Benedix soon followed, and took up its 
position at the intersection of the roads. As Colonel 
Townsend's regiment approached for the purpose of 
making a junction with them, they were mistaken for 
the enemy and were fired into. After a number had been 
slain and wounded the error - was discovered, the firing 
ceased, and the united body advanced toward Great Bethel. 

As soon as the Federal troops came within range of 
the guns of the Eebels, the latter opened upon them with 
a formidable array of artillery. The Federals attempted 
to advance, and by a rapid charge and a bold assault, to 
obtain possession of the works. But they were saluted 
with such' a hail-storm of shot, and the expert riflemen 
of the foe seconded the efforts of their artillery so efie'c- 
tively, that the utmost bravery and desperation proved of 
little avail. Terrible havoc was produced in the ranks of 
the Federal troops, partly through the confusion and in- 
competency of General Pierce, who commanded the expe 
dition, and partly in consequence of the immense advan- 
tage in artillery and position possessed by the Eebels 
At length it became evident that further effort would be 
vain, and after an unequal and disastrous contest of two 
hours, the order to retreat was given. As the beaten 
troops retired they were pursued by the cavalry of the 
enemy, and some were slain on both sides. 

One of the chief disasters of this disgraceful day was 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 155 

tlie deatli of Lieutenaut John T. Greble, who accompanied 
the expedition in command of the few cannon which 
were taken with it. Durino- the eno-as-ement he had 
acted with great gallantry, and the chief impression 
produced upon the enemy was effected by the skill and 
vigor with which he worked his two guns. Eleven artil- 
lerists of the regular army had been placed under his orders. 
When at last the command to retreat was given, he 
directed his cannon to be limbered up, and was about to 
retire, when a cannon ball struck him on the right temple. 
He fell and expired instantly. 

This young officer, whose early and heroic death at 
this period rendered him the first martyr to the cause of 
the Union from among the officers of the regular army, 
had commenced, and until that hour had pursued, a 
career of more than ordinary brilliancy and promise. 
He was a native of Philadelphia, and at the time of his 
decease was twenty-seven years of age. His early educa- 
tion was received in the High School of the city of his 
birth. Having obtained admission to the Academy at 
West Point, he graduated in that institution with honor 
in 1854. He received the rank of brevet second lieu- 
tenant, and was subsequently ordered to Florida, where 
ho served two years in the war against the Seminole 
Indians. In March, 1857, he was promoted "to a first 
lieutenantcy, and was afterward appointed to a position 
on the Academical Staff at West Point. In October, 
1860, he was ordered to Fortress Monroe ; and there he 
remained until May, 1861, when he was transferred to 
his last command — that of the artillery at the advanced 
post of Newport News. 

Lieutenant Greble was descended from ancestors who 
had held honorable positions in the army of the Ameri- 
can Revolution. He had always distinguished himself 



156 A HISTORY OF 

in the performance of his official duties by superior 
intelligence, fortitude, and energy. In the battle of 
Great Bethel he had displayed the utmost coolness and 
heroism. It was he who, when the firing took place 
between the several Federal regiments, first discovered 
the mistake, rode up to the combatants, and succeeded in 
putting an end to the work of mutual destruction. He 
then exclaimed in agony that he had rather himself been 
shot, than that such a disaster should have taken place. 
He seems in fact to have entertained a foreboding of the 
fatal result of the expedition ; and remarked to a brother 
officer, when he received the order to accompany it: 
" this is an ill advised and badly arranged movement, no 
good will come from it ; and as for myself, I shall not 
return from the battle-field alive." After the action 
began he was left alone with his men on the field, by the 
confused and irregular operations of the troops ; but he 
remained undaunted, working his guns with the utmost 
resolution, and with much success. Several officers, at a 
later period of the combat, seeing his exposed position, 
urged him to take better care of himself, and suggested 
that he should dodge the balls. He replied con- 
temptuously, "I never dodge, nor will I retreat till 
I hear the notes of the bugle commanding it." At 
length these notes reached his ears, and not till then 
did he think of retiring. During the progress of the 
battle he sighted every discharge of his guns in person. 
It was noticed that his aim was extremely accurate. 
When he fell, the troops retreated, leaving his body on 
the field. A short time afterward Lieutenant Colonel 
Warren and Captain Wilson rallied a few of the men, 
returned, rescued his remains and the two cannon, and 
then sadly joined in the general flight. The Federal loss 
was seventeen killed, forty-five wounded. 



THE SOUTHER^ EEBELLION. 



157 



While the destructive tide of Secession was surging 
to and fro like a mighty deluge, devastating the once 
feir domains of the South, it is gratifying to notice 
an opposite current arising in the western portion of 
Virginia, in favor of the time-honored Union. A con- 
vention had been called together at Wheeling consisting 
of delegates from many of the western counties of the 
State, for the purpose of deliberating on the propriety 
of disavowing the acts of the Richmond Convention, in 
adopting the secession ordinance ; and to form a new 
State which should remain a constituent portion of the 
Union. On the 17th of June the final decision was made 
in reference to the subject. An unanimous vote was 
given by the Convention in favor of the establishment 
of a separate Commonwealth, which was then named 
Kanawha, but was afterward called New Virginia, and 
in favor of its admission to the Federal Union. There 
was not a dissenting voice, but a small number of the 
delegates were absent. There were fifty-six ballots cast 
in favor of the measure ; and the declaration which em- 
bodied the action of the Convention was signed by each 
of those fifty-six. 

In the meantime the martial events of the Rebellion 
progressed, and the future plans and purposes of the 
armed traitors became more apparent. The force of 
fifteen thousand men which, under the rebel General 
Johnston, had taken possession of Harper's Ferry, evacu- 
ated that place, as already stated, on the 14th of June, after 
destroying a large portion of the public property which 
there existed. The motive of this withdrawal was judi- 
cious on the part of the Rebels ; it being simply for the pur- 
pose of rendering their forces more available in connec- 
tion with the anticipated struggle at Manassas, On the 
18th of June they inflicted a slight reverse upon that 



loo A HISTOEY OP 

portion of tlie Federal troops, consisting of the First Ohio 
regiment, which was commanded by General Schenck. 
They had pLaced a concealed battery on an eminence 
adjacent to the railroad to Vienna; and when the cars 
which contained these troops approached that town, they 
were suddenly fired upon. The Federal loss was eight 
killed and twelve wounded ; a temporary panic ensued ; 
but the troops ultimately resumed their journey, and 
reached their destination without further opposition. 

More important and decisive events were now about 
to transpire in. Western Virginia. On the 6th of 
May, 1861, General George B. McClellan was appointed 
to the command of the regiments raised in Ohio, Indiana, 
and Illinois; and he formed the plan, in conjunction with 
General Morris, of an invasion of Virginia from the West. 
This project he submitted to the War Department. The 
evident ability and skill which it exhibited gained it an 
immediate approval, and McClellan at once proceeded to 
active operations. On the 28d of June that of&cer com- 
menced to execute his purposes. The plan to which we 
have referred was in substance as follows : — The main 
army of the Eebels in Western Virginia, commanded by 
General Garnett, was then posted at Beverly, about fifty 
miles south of Grafton. It was proposed to attract and 
to occupy their attention by marching a force toward 
them from Grafton through Philippi ; while another 
division should proceed in a parallel line through Clarks- 
burg and Buckhannan, and penetrating further to the 
Sotxth, reach a point in their rear, prevent their retreat, 
and by a combined attack, vanquish and capture them. 

This admirable arrangement was executed in spite of 
unexpected difficulties, in an equally admirable manner. 
The Rebels anticipating no attack except in their front, 
took a new position twelve miles north of Beverly, and 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 159 

strongly fortified it. General Morris then led a brigade 
of Ohio and Indiana troops toward the enemy from the 
North, At Bealington, when within range of their guns, 
he halted, fortified his position, completely obstructed 
their further advance, and then awaited the operations 
of McClellan. That ofiicer also executed his part of the 
plan with signal energy and ability. With the main 
body of the Federal troops which had been posted at 
Grafton he advanced through Clarksburg to Buckhan- 
non. At Eich Mountain he unexpectedly found a Eebel 
force of two thousand men, under General Pegram, posted 
in a strong position. He divided his troops into two di- 
visions ; placed one under command of Colonel Eosecranz, 
and himself led the other. Pegram's position was turned 
by a flank march through the woods. Many of his men 
were killed and taken ; a total rout ensued ; and on the 
following day the main body, under Pegram, was com- 
pelled to surrender. A small detachment afterward 
effected their escape. 

"When these fugitives reached the camp of General 
Garnett, they quickly apprised him of his real danger. 
Then it was that he attempted to retreat to Beverly ; for 
had he reached that position he might have effected his 
escape from superior numbers, by crossing the mountains 
at Cheat Mountain Gap. He might thus have joined the 
rebel forces in Central Virginia, or else have united with 
the troops of General Wise stationed on the Kanawha. 
But he was defeated in the accomplishment of this purpose 
by the energy and promptitude with which McClellan 
executed his part of the plan. His timely advance to- 
ward Beverly interrupted the movement. Only one 
alternative, therefore, yet remained to General Garnett, 
which was to retreat by a road running to the northeast, 
up Cheat river, until he could obtain a passage through 



160 ~ A HISTOEY OF 

the mountains into tLe central valley of Virginia. He 
immediately abandoned his baggage and artillery, and 
commenced a rapid march toward St. George. 

The Federal commander immediately detected this 
movement and pursued the retiring foe. Then followed 
a grand and desperate chase, which was in itself an ex- 
traordinary achievement. During forty hours, with one 
single intermission, the Federal forces continued the 
pursuit. Through a mountainous, rugged, often almost 
impassable country, sometimes by fording rivers, some- 
times by facing storms of wind and rain, they advanced ; 
and at length reached the rear of the exhausted and re- 
treating Rebels. The latter were at once attacked with 
the utmost energy and resolution. A decisive victory 
was gained. The Rebels abandoned their camp, their 
few remaining guns, some prisoners, and fled in the 
utmost precipitation. Their commanding oi^cer. General 
Garnett, who seems not to have been deficient in courage 
or skill, was slain during the engagement. The scattered 
wreck of his army sought safety, and disappeared from 
view, in the deeper and remoter recesses of the moun- 
tains. 

It must be admitted that few military plans were ever 
conceived with greater sagacity, or executed with more 
signal ability, than this. To whom the chief credit both 
of the plan and of its execution may be due, is another 
question. It is clear that it was first known as an enter- 
prise proposed by General Morris, who was in command 
of the Federal forces stationed at Grafton previous to the 
arrival of General McClellan. But as General Morris was 
not a professional soldier, it is probable that the complete 
conception of the arrangement is to be chiefly attributed 
to McClellan, To him also was assigned the execution 
of much the more difficult portion of the combination. 



THE SOUTHERN RELJELLIOX. 161 

In the practical part of the achievement the honors must 
to some extent be divided among, several brave men. 
Colonel E-osecranz fulfilled his commission with equal 
valor and skill. Captain Benham, the principal staff offi- 
cer of General Morris, also distinguished himself. Never- 
theless, with that partiality with which mankind generally 
over-praise those whom they elevate to the position of 
favorites, the sole glory of the brilliant movement was 
attributed by the popular voice, to the most prominent 
actor in it. 

One of the inevitable consequences produced by a 
revolution, either civil or military, is, that it develops 
latent greatness of character, and gives an opportunity 
to men of superior ability to attain eminence, who would 
otherwise have remained comparatively obscure. This 
remark applies with truth to the Southern Eebellion-. 
Among its other results, its stirring events introduced 
George" Brinton McClellan to the special notice and 
scrutiny of mankind. 

This officer was born in Philadelphia in December, 
1826. In his sixteenth year, having chosen the military 
profession as his future pursuit, he entered the academy 
at West Point. He ranked second in his class for merit 
and ability among a number of young men, all of whom 
were his seniors. He graduated in 1846, and received a 
commission as brevet second lieutenant of engineers. 
The war with Mexico breaking out, he assisted in training 
an engineer company which had been raised at West 
Point, and then proceeded with them to active service. 

He landed with General Scott at Vera Cruz, and took 
part in all the battles which signalized the career of that 
commander in Mexico. The progress of his promotion 
was rapid, but not more rapid than was the development 
of his merit. In August, 1847, he was breveted first 
11 



162 A HISTORY OF 

lieutenant for his gallantry at the battles of Contreras and 
Churubusco, In the next month he was breveted captain 
for his heroism in the conflicts of Molina del Rey and 
Chepultepec. He was subsequently, in May, 1848, pro- 
moted to the rank of commandant of sappers, miners 
and pontoniers. There was scarcely another instance 
among the many talented young men who distinguished 
themselves in that war, of a person whose rise in the 
profession was so rapid and so constant as his. 

The war being" ended, McClellan returned to West 
Point, where he remained till 1851. The ensuing interval 
he employed in preparing a manual for the bayonet 
exercise, which was introduced into the army. That 
work became a standard authority on the subject. During 
the summer and fall of 1851 he superintended the build- 
ing of Fort Delaware. In the following spring he joined 
the expedition under Major Marcy for the purpose of 
exploring the Red river. Thence he proceeded to Texas 
as senior engineer, to survey the rivers and harbors of 
that State. "While in Mexico he had attracted the atten- 
tion and won the confidence of Jefferson Davis, whose 
sagacious eye easily detected his superior qualities. 
When Davis became Secretary of War under President 
Pierce, he employed McClellan to make a reconnoissanee 
of the Cascade mountains on the Pacific, with special 
reference to the future construction of the Pacific Rail- 
road. This difficult duty he discharged to the entire 
satisfaction of the Secretary ; who, having set his heart 
upon the accomplishment of that important enterprise, 
was very exacting in regard to every thing which might 
promote its attainment. 

In 1854 McClellan was dispatched on a secret mission 
to the West Indies. In the next year he received a 
captaincy in a regiment of cavalry; and then followed 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 163 

the most important commission with which he had yet 
been honored. He was selected by Mr. Davis, in con- 
nection with Kichard Delafield and Alfred Mordecai, to 
proceed to the Crimea for the purpose of making observa- 
tions upon the military operations which were then in 
progress; and to examine the most noted military 
establishments of Europe. The commissioners were 
absent two years, and after their return, each of them 
submitted to the Government a separate report containing 
the results of his observations. It may safely be aJ0B,rmed 
that, though the reports of Delafield and Morel ecai were 
creditable performances, the production, of McClellan 
was superior to them both ; and it was so regarded by 
the Government for whom it was prepared. 

This elaborate work was published in 1857. It was 
illustrated by admirable plates, diagrams and maps. Its 
contents were of the utmost value, including not merely 
reports upon the events on the great struggle in the 
Crimea, but also dissertations on many topics of import- 
ance connected with military science. It described with 
accuracy the characteristics of the French, Austrian, 
Prussian and Sardinian infantry, the various departments 
of the Eussian army, and the regulations for military 
service in the chief countries of Europe. The author 
discussed the peculiar tactics, discipline and, equipments 
of all the great European armies. Nothing of interest 
which appertained to the organization of troops and camps, 
the construction of field works, the most approved method 
of reducing fortified positions, the peculiar merits and 
defects of British and French, Eussian and Sardinian 
soldiers, was omitted. The principles of modern warfare, 
hospitals, commissariats, the Zouaves, military instruction 
in general — these and many other subjects of great interest 
and value were investigated in the various reports which 



164: A HISTORY OF 

constituted this volume ; and they were treated with the 
ability of a man as well practiced in handling the pen as 
in wielding the sword. The style of the work is clear 
and forcible, the research exhibited is thorough and 
deep, the reflections made are sagacious and original, the 
learning displayed is accurate and profound. 

After his return from Europe in 1857, McClellan 
resigned his position in the army, and assumed that of 
Vice President and Chief Engineer of the Illinois Central 
Eailroad. This office he retained until he was elected 
President of the Ohio and Mississippi Eailroad. It was 
from this position that he was transferred, immediately 
after the commencement of the Rebellion, to the military 
command of the Department of Ohio, comprising that 
State, together with Illinois, Indiana and Western 
Virginia. His achievements in the latter field we have 
already narrated. After the battle of Bull Run the 
Administration at Washington, discovering the incom- 
petence of some of those in high command, felt the neces- 
sity of summoning to the Capital the best military talent 
within their reach. Then it was that they conferred upon 
General McClellan the most responsible, the most difficult, 
but also the most honorable post ever bestowed upon 
any young American officer, since that memorable day 
when George Washington was chosen by the Continental 
Congress, in another great crisis of the nation's destiny, 
to conduct the armies of the rising Republic to scenes of 
victory and glory. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 165 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE EXTRAORDINABY SESSION OF CONGRESS IN JULY, 1861 — MESSAGE OF 

PRESIDENT LINCOLN — ITS CHARACTERISTICS ITS DEMANDS SKETCH 

OF THADDEUS STEVENS HIS POLITICAL CAREER HIS PERSONAL QUALI- 
TIES — HIS ACTION AS CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE OF WAYS AND 
MEANS — IMPORTANT BILLS PASSED BY CONGRESS — OPPOSITION OP 
MESSRS. VALLANDIGHAM AND BURNETT TO THE POLICY OF THE ADMINIS- 
TRATION — THE CIVIL WAR IN MISSOURI — THE GRAND ARMY EQUIPPED 

AT WASHINGTON COMPLAINTS OP ITS PROLONGED INACTIVITY 

ORDER GIVEN TO GEN. MCDOWELL TO ADVANCE TOWARD MANASSAS — 
ARRANGEMENT OF THE ARMY — THE ADVANCE REACH BULL RUN — THE 
PRELIMINARY CONFLICT AT THAT PLACE — REPULSE OF GENERAL TYLER'S 
DIVISION — POSITION OF THE REBEL ARMY AT MANASSAS — GEN. BEAU- 
REGARD — THE IMPENDING CONTEST — TEMPER OF THE REBEL TROOPS 

THE ARTS EMPLOYED TO INFLAME THEM. 

The extraordinary session of Congress wliicia convened 
at Washington on the 4th of July, 1861, will always 
remain an event of supreme importance in American 
history. It assembled under circumstances such as never 
before existed since the foundation-of the Federal Govern- 
ment ; and it may be added, that the peculiarities which 
marked its deliberations were such as have rarely been 
exhibited in the proceedings of the National Legislature. 
A regard was paid, to some extent, to the real purposes 
for which the members had been summoned to meet; 
and wordy speeches for popularity and profit, as well as 
brutal assaults for supremacy or revenge, were for the 
time being abandoned. On the 5th of July President 
Lincoln sent in his message, which was read to both 
Houses, and became at once the subject of scrutiny and 
attention. 



J^ 



1j6 a history of 

This message was also novel in its character. Unlike 
Presidential messages in general, it was characterized by 
brevity, clearness, and practical good sense. II went 
directly to the heart of the great theme which then 
absorbed and influenced every mind. It was indeed 
destitute of the polish of style and the elegance of 
language which have generally embellished, but have as 
often obscured or enfeebled, the ofl&cial addresses of the 
Chief Magistrate. But every man in the nation could 
understand it. It possessed the qualities of sagacity and 
intelligence, which recommended it to the most culti- 
vated and fastidious. It displayed a vigor of purpose 
and an earnestness in defense of the Union, which elicited 
the applause of the most illiterate and obscure. It was 
precisely the right thing in the right place. It was a 
faithful response to the convictions and sentiments of 
every patriot in the community. 

In this message the President made a requisition upon 
Congress for four hundred thousand men, and four 
hundred millions of dollars ; in order that, by adopting 
the most vigorous measures, the most decisive results 
might at once be attained. One of the first acts of the 
Speaker of the House was to appoint the chairman of 
the Committee of "Ways and Means. That committee, 
under the existing circumstances, was invested with even 
more importance than it ordinarily possessed. Upon the 
ability and industry of its members, and especially 
of its chairman, the efficiency of the whole body in a 
great measure depended ; and the Speaker in this instance 
made a selection which was marked by eminent appro- 
priateness and prudence. No man then occupied a seat 
in the Federal Congress who was more highly gifted by 
nature, or possessed greater experience and skill in the 
management of deliberative bodies, than Thaddeus 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



167 



Stevens ; and upon him this responsible post was wisely 
conferred, to the exclusion and the mortification of not a 
few aspiring politicians, who imagined that their vast 
abilities and their extraordinary services entitled them 
to it, 

Mr. Stevens was one of the most remarkable of a 
generation of American statesmen, who have now nearly 
all passed away. His name and his influence were dis- 
tinguished in the political history of Pennsylvania for 
thirty-five years ; and for twenty years he was prominent 
among our politicians of national reputation. He was a 
native of Vermont, and was born in 1796. In his early 
manhood he removed to York, and afterward to Gettys- 
burg, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the practice of 
the law. He quickly become the head of a bar adorned 
by such men as Judge Eeed of Carlisle, Charles B. Pen- 
rose, Senator James Coopei', and others of high repute. 
Being elected to represent his district in the State Legis- 
lature, he there took the first rank among many talented 
men ; and domineered over both Houses, over the Whig 
Governors, over their Cabinets, and over the affairs of 
the State generally, during several administrations, with 
an influence which was well nigh absolute. The chief 
secret of his power and of his success was his superior 
ability in debate, and his matchless tact in controlling a 
deliberative assembly. In all the highest arts of a 
popular and forensic orator, in earnestness and pathos of 
declamation, in shrewdness and sophistry of reasoning, 
in scathing severity of sarcasm, in dauntless resolution 
of temper, in readiness of reply, and in quickness to 
detect and expose the weak points of an adversary, — in 
all those qualifications Mr. Stevens, when in his prime, 
had few superiors among the most renowned and accom 
plished of American orators. 



168 A HISTORY OF 

In the Federal House of Kepresentatives he always 
maintained a high rank ; although he did not take his 
seat in it till after he had passed the most vigorous 
period of his life. His achievements as chairman of the 
Committee of Ways and Means, in the memorable extra 
session of 1861, formed a noble and appropriate climax 
to his long career ; and his name will descend to future 
generations as one of the ablest and most efficient of 
those coadjutors of the President, who, in that perilous 
crisis of the nation's history, infused energy, liberality 
and patriotism into the legislative branch of the Govern- 
ment. Though he made no long speeches in the per- 
formance of his duties, he accomplished greater things 
than long speeches could then achieve, by the use of tact, 
and even by the maintenance, in some cases, of prudent 
and significant silence. More than once, when Yallan- 
digham and Burnett — the chief representatives of a 
treasonable policy in the House — had delivered them- 
selves of impetuous and frothy harangues against the 
measures proposed by the Committee, and briefly advo- 
cated by its chairman ; when they had fumed and fretted 
for an hour, and imagined that they had so effectually 
badgered the Chairman of the Committee that he must 
needs respond, and endeavor to vindicate himself by a 
speech equally convulsive and equally frantic as their 
own ; — more than once, under such circumstances, and 
after such a tremendous assault, did Mr. Stevens annihi- 
late all that the adverse orators had uttered, by maintain- 
ing an unexpected and contemptuous silence, or, at most, 
by uttering a few words of poisoned and deadly sarcasm. 
Many able men have served as Chairmen of the Congres- 
sional Committees of Ways and Means, in many difficult 
crises of our national history ; but no one ever acquitted 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 169 

himself with more ability and success than did Mr. 
Stevens in that position. 

On the 10th of July a bill was passed, authorizing the 
Secretary of the Treasury to borrow, on the credit of the 
United States, a sum not exceeding two hundred and 
fifty millions of dollars ; for whtch he was authorized to 
issue certificates of coupon or registered stock, and 
treasury notes. The stock was to bear interest not exceed- 
ing seven per centum per annum, payable semi-annually, 
and to be irredeemable for twenty years. The treasury 
notes were to be payable three years after date, with 
interest at the rate of seven and three-tenths per centum 
per annum. The faith of the United States was pledged 
for the payment of the interest, and the redemption of 
the principal of the loan. This act conferred on the 
President the necessary means to carry on the war, and 
was preliminary to many other important bills which 
were subsequently passed, and which provided for the 
continuance of efl&cient military operations. 

Two members of the House and one of the Senate 
particularly disgraced themselves during the entire pro- 
gress of this session, by their sj'-stematic opposition to 
the patriotic policy of the Government, These were 
Messrs. Vallandigham of Ohio, and Burnett and Breck- 
inridge of Kentucky. It is difficult to conceive what 
could have been the real motive of their action, unless it 
were that perversity which characterizes some minds, 
and impels them to resist what all other men unanimously 
approve. It is the unenviable distinction of these persons 
that, in this perilous crisis they exerted themselves to 
aid the Eebels by obstructing the wheels of legislation, 
and by the use of every possible expedient — by direct 
opposition, by offering substitutes, by proposing amend- 
ments, by calling for .the previous question, by moving 



170 A HISTOKY OF 

to lay on the table, and by moving to adjourn — by these 
and other tricks they endeavored to hamper the onward 
march of the most honorable measures which were ever 
adopted by any American Congress. They will proba- 
bly receive their reward; and by the decision of a just 
posterity, when the storms and perils of this disasterous 
time shall have passed away, they will be classed with 
the Floyds and Davises of the present era, with the 
Burrs and Arnolds of a former age. 

It is not necessary here to enumerate all even of the 
most important of the bills which were passed by Congress 
during this extraordinary session. It will be sufficient 
to observe, that every appropriation which the safety and 
honor of the nation required, was liberally made. Such 
harmony and unanimity had never before existed in any 
American Congress. So far indeed did these qualities 
prevail, that they led to the occurrence of a phenomenon 
unknown before in the annals of modern legislation. 
We read, in the history of the Christian Church, of 
certain harmless and perhaps excusable expedients termed 
"pious frauds," which were resorted to in different ages 
and countries, for the purpose of accomplishing results 
in themselves beneficent and good.* In the present case 
a measure was adopted which may with equal propriety 
be termed a patriotic fraud, by which two separate and 
independent bills were passed, apparently by accident, 
doubtless by design, which in effect conferred on the 
President the power to summon a million of men into 
the field, if he should deem that number necessary for 
the defence and preservation of the Union. To whom 
the credit or the blame of this patriotic fraud ought to be 
attributed, there can be but little doubt ; for in legislative 

* Vide Moslieim's Ecclesiastical History, vol. 1, pp. 65, 112. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 171 

adroitness of this kind, tlie chairman of the Committee 
of Ways and Means had few superiors. 

The civil war in Missouri now assumed more tragical 
features from day to day. The inhabitants of that State 
were thoroughly divided on the subject of Secession, 
and the greater ferocity and cruelty which characterize 
many of the inhabitants of those outposts of civilization, 
produced the effect that there the war assumed a more 
desperate character than it had yet exhibited in any 
other scene of conflict. Two rival governors claimed the 
executive authority of the State. Two camps and two 
armies were gradually collected. The rebels were 
commanded by General Claiborne Jackson, the Federal 
troops were led by General Franz Sigel ; and it was evi- 
dent, from the hostile and vigorous spirit which charac- 
terized both armies, that a collision between them was 
imminent. 

In a republican government such as our own, every 
man regards himself as a political sovereign, and each 
one claims the right to interfere in the administration of 
public affairs. Nor do these individual sovereigns choose 
to recognize any difference between things military and 
things civil ; all alike must be subject to their scrutiny 
and jurisdiction. This disposition v/as very clearly 
exhibited in reference to the operations of what was 
absurdly termed the " Grand Army," by those whose 
patriotism was more ardent than their sagacity was 
penetrating. By this term were meant the Federal troops 
who were collected at Washington ; and during the early 
portion of July great impatience was expressed by some 
leading journals, chiefly in New York, that so powerful 
an army should be allowed to remain so long in ignoble 
repose. A general complaint or appeal was made by 
those journals, that it was high time something decisive 



172 A HISTORY OF 

ehould be done, that a battle should be fought, that a 
victory should be achieved, merely, if for nothing else, 
to show the rebels how utterly insignificant they were, 
and to demonstrate to the world that the Federal 
Government was omnipotent, and could crush with its 
finger the whole body of the presumptuous foe. 

It was doubtless in consequence of the impatience of 
these military tyros, and the pertinacious clamors for a 
battle with which they persecuted the Commander-in- 
Chief and the Secretary of "War, that orders were at 
length issued, that on the 17th of July the Grand Army, 
numbering thirty thousand men, should move forward 
toward Richmond, under the command of General Irwin 
McDowell. This army, though composed of the best 
possible raw materials, though brave, though patriotic, 
though ardently devoted to the cause of the Union, was 
nevertheless, in the opinion of every man of scientific 
military attainments, little more than an armed mob ; for 
it is not possible for any human power to convert the 
mere citizen into a real soldier by six weeks drilling. 
The military editors, however, prevailed, and the follow- 
ing dispositions were made: The first division, under 
General Tyler, forming the right centre, marched toward 
Vienna. The column of the extreme right, commanded 
by Colonel Hunter, moved toward Centreville. The left 
centre column, under the orders of General Miles, pro- 
ceeded by the Little River turnpike toward Fairfax 
Court House. The column of the extreme left, led by 
Colonel Heintzelman, advanced by the Orange and 
Alexandria Railroad. 

Previous to this date Fairfax had been occupied by a 
number of Rebel troops. On the morning of the 17th 
they abandoned their position without making any 
resistance. The Federal forces first entered the town at 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLION. 173 

noon on that day. The Secession flag still waved 
insultingly from the Court House ; but it quickly gave 
place to the national colors. The rebel troops who 
had retreated from Fairfax were about five thousand in 
number, and were commanded by General Bonham, who 
had recently been a member of Congress from South 
Carolina. 

On the 18th of July the march of the Federal army was 
resumed toward Manassas Junction. The fourth brigade 
of General Tyler's division, commanded by Colonel 
Eichardson, led the advance. General Tyler pushed 
forward with his staff, and a small escort, to reconnoitre 
the position of the enemy. When he reached a height 
opposite to Bull Run, he discovered, in a long slope or 
valley which stretched out before him, a number of the 
Rebel cavalry and infantry moving in the distance. He 
immediately sent back orders for two twenty-pounders 
to be brought forward. With these he attacked the 
enemy, then distant about a mile and a half. This can- 
nonnading commenced at half past twelve o'clock. 
Soon the Rebels brought forward a battery of four guns, 
with which they responded to the Federal artillery. 
Their shots exhibited such excellent markmanship that 
it was evident they had taken the range of their guns 
before. The first body of Federal troops which arrived 
at the scene was the brigade of Colonel Richardson. 
He was directed by General Tyler to advance on the 
right along the outskirts of the forest, for the purpose, if 
possible, of capturing the enemy's guns. The brigade 
proceeded to execute the order ; but when they approached 
the spot at which the rebel guns had been posted, an 
attack was suddenly made upon them by a strong force 
of the enemy. These had, in reality, formed an ambus- 
cade, and they now poured a deadly deluge of rifle shot 



174 A HISTORY OF 

into the Federal ranks, while concealed in trenches, 
lying behind embankments, and sheltered by the woods. 
Soon the field was covered with a dense cloud of smoke, 
and the Federal troops fought under the immense disad 
vantage of not knowing the ground, and of being unable 
to see the foe. Not expecting to encounter so fierce and 
general an attack, our artillery was not provided with 
sufficient ammunition to maintain a lengthened contest. 
After the lapse of an hour from the commencement of 
the engagement, the Federal troops retired. The enemy 
did not advance from their position, but continued to fire 
upon the retreating column. The latter brought away 
with them all their guns. The killed on the Federal side 
were about sixty, with an equal proportion of wounded. 
The loss of the enemy is unknown to us. It was probably 
much less than our own, in consequence of the superior 
advantages possessed by them, both in position and in 
numbers. Seven regiments only were engaged on the 
Federal side. Four times as many troops joined in the 
action on the part of the Eebels. The effect of this rebuff 
to our arms was extremely injurious. It gave hope to 
the Eebels, and depressed the Federals. It was doubtless 
an imprudent movement to permit a detachment of troops 
to advance into what might be, and into what actually 
proved to be, a treacherous and deadly ambuscade ; for 
they encountered the risk of being overpowered by vastly 
superior numbers. In such a dilemma the bravest will 
falter, the most valiant fail. 

And now the critical moment was approaching when 
a great and memorable conflict was destined to occur. 
During several months all the martial zeal of the seceding 
States had been expended in concentrating their military 
resources at one favorable point, in order that, at that 
point, they might resist, and if possible hurl back the 



I — 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 175 

advancing forces of tlie Federal Government. The 
position which they had selected as the scene of this 
achievement was a spot till then unknown to fame — a 
spot scarcely marked down on any general map ; but a 
spot fated thenceforth to be immortal as Manassas Plains. 
It was admirably adapted by nature to the purpose of 
defence ; and its natural advantages had been increased and 
improved by the assiduous use of every device known to 
the military art, of which it was capable. The place con- 
sists of a succession of hills, nearly equidistant, protected 
in front by a deep and thickly wooded ravine. It lies half 
way between the eastern spur of the Blue Eidge on the 
one hand, and the Potomac river on the other. Its more 
elevated points command the whole intervening country. 
The right wing of the entrenchments extended toward 
the head of the Occoquon, where the thick forest rendered 
an approach difiicult and dangerous. The left occupied 
a rolling table land, interspersed with successive eleva- 
tions, which fully commanded its entire expanse. The 
centre of the Rebel army was posted precisely upon the 
key of the whole admirably-chosen position. 

That position had been as efiectively fortified as it had 
been admirably chosen. A line of batteries had been 
erected two miles in extent, whose outline was zigzag in 
shape, and was strengthened, at the necessary points, 
with bastions and other structures, with all the skill of a 
Yauban or a Cohorn. The Rebel camp was abundantly 
watered by mountain rivulets which murmured through 
it, on their way to the tranquil bosom of the Potomac. 
In the rear there lay a fertile country, where wheat, oats, 
corn, pasture and meadow fields, furnished ample subsis- 
tence to the troops. The number of men whom Beaure- 
gard had assembled at this point it is impossible for us 
precisely to state ; but the lowest conjecture, based upon 
the most reliable evidence within sOur reach, would make 



176 A HISTORY OF 

it about forty thousand men. These were composed of 
an enraged and frantic conglomeration of human beings, 
chiefly from South Carolina. Mississippi, Louisiana, Ala- 
bama, Georgia, and Virginia ; though smaller contingents 
had been furnished by several other seceding States. 
They were well provided with artillery and ammunition. 
The larger portion of their guns had been directly stolen 
from the United States ; and these the Eebels now pur- 
posed to employ against the Government which they had 
defrauded. 

The energy and ability which General Beauregard had 
exhibited in collecting, training and fortifying this array, 
had inspired them with the utmost confidence in his 
abilities and in his fortunes. He and his officers had 
inflamed the passions of their troops to the highest pitch, 
by all the arts of the demagogue and the soldier. No 
means had been neglected which might render this 
formidable host confident of success, contemptuous of 
their opponents, efficient in combat, and comparatively 
safe within the shelter of powerful and well constructed 
batteries. Traitors at Washington and elsewhere, had 
given the enemy timely warning of the approach of the 
Federal army. They were not, therefore, to be taken 
by surprise. As the decisive moment approached the 
last stirring appeal was made. The Eebels were reminded 
that the hour of victory, the hour of glory, and the hour 
of revenge, had at length arrived. Now was the time to 
slake, in a deluge of Yankee blood, that growing thirst 
for vengeance which had been accumulating during half 
a century. Now was the time to demonstrate to the 
world the immeasurable superiority of the native of the 
South over the native of the North. And to a deadl}'- 
combat with such a foe, superior in numbers, in position, 
and in artillery, the Federal forces marched, little 
conscious of the real nature of the service before them. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 177 



CHAPTER X. 

THE FEDERAL ARMY AT CENTREVILLE — GENERAL MCDOWELL'S PLAX OF 
ATTACK — THE DIVISIONS OF GENERALS TYLER, HUNTER AND HEINTZEL- 

MAN THEIR SEVERAL DUTIES — THE MARCH FROM CENTREVILLE 

INTERESTING SPECTACLE GENERAL TYLER FIRST REACHES THE BATTLE- 
FIELD HE COMMENCES THE ENGAGEMENT — MOVEMENTS OF GENERALS 

HUNTER AND HEINTZELMAN — THE GALLANT SIXTY-NINTH NEW YORK — 

THE ENGAGEMENT BECOMES GENERAL VIGOROUS CANNONApiNG THE 

REBELS GRADUALLY OVERPOWERED THE FEDERALS VICTORIOUS AT 

MID-DAY REBEL ADMISSIONS TO THAT EFFECT — GENERAL JOHNSTON'S 

TROOPS FROM WINCHESTER ARRIVE ON THE BATTLE-FIELD THEY 

REVERSE THE TIDE OF VICTORY — SUDDEN PANIC IN THE FEDERAL ARMY 
A GENERAL RETREAT ENSUES INCIDENTS OP THE FLIGHT INDI- 
VIDUAL INSTANCES OP HEROISM RESULTS OF THE BATTLE FAILURE 

OF THE REBEL COMMANDERS TO IMPROVE THEIR VICTORY ULTIMATE 

CONSEQUENCES. 

It was on Sunday, July 21st, 1861, that the memorable 
battle of Manassas, the most decisive and desperate which 
had yet occurred on the American continent, took place. 
The Federal Army during the preceding day and night 
reposed at Centreville, about seven miles distant from 
the scene of conflict. It was placed under the command 
of General Irwin McDowell — an officer who had received 
a military education at West Point, had distinguished 
himself during the Mexican war, had been rapidly pro- 
moted from rank to rank, had invariably conducted 
himself with gallantry and heroism, and who was worthy 
of the important trust which was on this occasion con- 
ferred upon him. 

The plan of attack which this officer devised, and pur- 
posed to execute, was, in the opinion of those most cora- 
12 



178 A HISTORY OF 

peteut to judge, an admirable one. The army was sepa- 
rated into three divisions, which were ordered to advance 
to the position of the enemy by three routes. Two of these 
movements were to be genuine assaults ; the third was 
to be a feint for the purpose of distracting the attention of 
the foe. The division of General Tyler was directed to 
march forward by the Warrington road, and to cross 
Bull Kun a mile and a half to the right. This division 
comprised the first and second Ohio, and the second New 
York regiments, under General Schenck ; the sixty-ninth, 
seventy-ninth, and thirteenth of New York, with the second 
Wisconsin regiments. Three ef&cient batteries — those 
of Carlisle, Ayres and E,ickett — accompanied them. The 
second road was taken by General Hunter, on the 
extreme right, who commanded the eighth and four- 
te^th New York regiments, a battalion of the second, 
third and eighth regular infantry, a number of artillery, 
the first and second Ohio, the seventy-first New York, 
two New Hampshire regiments, and the powerful Ehode 
Island battery. The third route was to be taken by the 
division of General Heintzelman, comprising the fourth 
and fifth Massachusetts and the first Minnesota regi- 
ments, the second, fourth and fifth Maine, and the 
second Vermont regiments, supported by cavalry and 
artillery. General Hunter's orders were to pass a small 
stream called Cub Run ; to turn to the right, then to the 
north, to pass the upper ford of Bull Run ; then, marching 
southward, to attack the enemy in the rear. General 
Heintzelman was directed to cross Bull Run at the lower 
ford, and there attack the Rebels when they were being 
driven before the advancing lines of Hunter. The 
reserve, under General Miles, was posted at Centreville, 
numbering six thousand men. The actual number of 
ttroops who marched to the attack of the rebels at Manas- 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 179 

sas was abovit twenty-three thousand. The duty assigned 
to Hunter and to Heintzelman was, to drive the enemy 
from the right and from the rear upon the force of 
General Tyler on the left ; so that, hemmed in between 
the three bodies, their defeat might be more certainlj? 
efficiently accomplished. 

General McDowell had at first intended to commence 
the march from Centre vi lie on Saturday afternoon, July 
20th, and orders had actually been given to that effect. 
But it was discovered at the moment of starting, that a 
deficiency of heavy ammunition existed, and that a large 
supply must first be obtained from Fairfax. This 
process rendered a short delay necessary, and then it was 
determined to postpone the advance until the following 
day. Accordingly, at half-past two o'clock on Sunday 
morning, the command was given to strike the tents and 
to commence the march. 

Soon the vast multitude began to move forward. The 
scene which was then presented to the view of an 
observer was one of imposing magnificence, and of 
solemn, martial splendor. The moon shone brightly 
and serenely in the distant heavens, which were spangled 
with myriads of sparkling gems ; while the immense 
assemblage of human beings, swarming over many a hill 
and vale, hurried forward with eager tread toward the 
field of blood. The mellow light of the dim luminaries 
served only to add the charm of a mystic and mvsterious 
grandeur to the spectacle. The solemn silence of the 
Sabbath morn was broken by the rumbling sound of the 
artillery, by the confused tread of horses and of men, 
intermingled with the occasional echo of the stern word 
of command, or the gladsome voices of laughter and 
song. General McDowell and his staff accompanied the 
central column of General Tyler's command. 



180 A HISTORY OF 

At length the clearer light of the early dawn spread 
over the face of the earth. Then, after a short interval, 
the sun appeared in full effulgence in the rosy East ; and 
as he commenced to mount the azure heavens, the head 
of General Tyler's column reached the eminence, from 
which the first distant view of the position of the enemy 
could be obtained. Seldom had a fairer, calmer, or love- 
lier scene been presented to the charmed eye of the en- 
thusiastic admirer of nature, than that which the wide 
sweep of country before them exhibited, soon to be 
torn and riven by the impetuous rush of infantry and 
cavalry, by the terrific discharges of the artillery — soon 
to be covered with human gore, and with the bleeding 
bodies of the dying and the dead. 

There is nothing more difficult in the whole range of 
historical inquiry than the attempt to describe a great 
battle with perfect accuracy and truthfulness. It is easy 
to imagine or exaggerate a series of thrilling events, and 
to embellish a narrative with highly-colored pictures, 
which may interest, excite, and sometimes even appall 
the reader. But that process will merely produce a 
work of imagination ; it will not elaborate a scene of 
historic verity. And if it be perplexing to an observer 
who has been an actual witness of a great engagement 
to furnish any thing like a reliable descriptive coiip d'oeil 
of the whole conflict, extending over an area of five, and 
in some cases of ten miles — as it undoubtedly is — how 
much more difficult must his task be, who attempts to 
extract from the conflicting and diversified statements 
of others, the material of a pen-picture of his own? The 
more he studies, scrutinizes, and compares the various 
narratives and versions which others give, all equally 
confident and equally sincere, the more he will detect 
the contradictions and incono-ruities which exist between 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLIOlSr. 18l 

them ; and lie will be at a loss to know how to act as 
arbiter, what to credit and Avhat to reject. In such a 
dilemma his highest aim must be to approximate as near 
the truth as he possibly can. 

It was ha.f-past five o'clock in the morning when the 
head of General Tyler's division reached a position 
flivorable for commencing the attack. The enemy could 
be seen from that position busily forming their lines 
about a mile in front. Skirmishers were immediately 
thrown forward, who soon encountered the Rebel pickets 
and exchanged shots with them, A ponderous thirty- 
two pound Parrot rifled cannon was then advanced upon 
the road, and a number of shells were thrown into their 
ranks. To this salute they made no reply, and General 
Tyler ordered his division to move forward, so as to be 
in nearer contact with the enemy, who seemed to have 
concealed the principal portion of their numbers behind 
tlie woods and the rolling hills. They had, in fact, taken 
their position, in great part, in the forest on the right 
and left, and had posted their artillery and masked their 
guns behind the groves which were scattered over the 
intervening country. 

The second Ohio and second New York regiments 
were then ordered by General Tyler to advance and 
attack the enemy in their concealed position. They 
obeyed, and soon the response of the guns of the Rebels 
demonstrated the fact that they had posted themselves in 
such a manner as to entice our men forward, that they 
might be more completely within the range of their bat- 
teries. So heavy an attack of artillery was now opened 
upon them from cannon which were almost invisible, 
and which seemed to pour forth a deadly deluge froni 
fiery mouths opening upon the very surface of the earth, 
that General Schenck at length gave the order to retire 



182 A HISTORY OF 

from the unequal contest. But at tlie same moment 
Carlisle's battery was ordered forward to respond to the 
masked artillery. His great guns replied with terrible 
effect. In half an hour the concealed cannon of the foe 
at this point were completely silenced. 

While these events were progressing in the front of 
the enemy's main position, the divisions of Hunter and 
of Heintzelman were operating on the extreme right, so 
as to reach the flank and the rear of the Eebels. The 
circuit which they made was an extensive one of some 
miles ; the march was difficult, and it was half-past ten 
before they reached the presence of the enemy. The 
latter were posted in a strong position beyond Ludley 
Springs. General Hunter at once attacked them with 
the fourteenth New York, the Rhode Island regiment 
commanded by Burnside, the second New Hampshire 
and the New York seventy-first. As these troops ad- 
vanced the enemy poured upon them a destructive 
deluge of shot and shell ; but they continued to advance 
with firmness and unflinching heroism. This was the 
northern extremity of the battle ground, and some of the 
fiercest fighting of that bloody day took place in this 
part of the engagement. The gallant Sixty-ninth rushed 
forward to the encounter with yells of mingled fury and 
exultation. They formed the van of a column which 
General Tyler had sent forward to cooperate with 
Hunter's division in surrounding the foe ; and they fell 
upon the Rebels with that combination of gallantry and 
ferocity which have characterized the Irish soldier in 
every country on the globe. 

These various operations were but preliminary to the 
grand and chief contest of the day. The cannonading 
between the two armies now became general. All the 
guns of the enemy were by this time brought into play, 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 183 

and nearly all the Federal forces except the reserves, had 
come into action. The battle-field, the range of the 
artillery, and the various operations of the assailants and 
defendants, extended over an area of about five miles. 
The discharges of artillery were very numerous ; the re- 
verberation was deafening; the energy, the intensity, 
and the efl'ect of the combat, were terrifhc. The sullen 
sound of the guns was heard at Centreville, at Fairfax, 
at Alexandria; it was even perceptible at Washington. 
The widely-spread and still-extending scene of conflict 
over the hills, the valleys and the ravines of Manassas, 
was now enveloped in countless up-rolling volumes of 
smoke ; and only at intervals, by the friendly aid of fitful 
eddies of the wind, could a glimpse be obtained of the 
exact position and operations of the combatants. Thus 
far, however, it was evident that all had gone well with 
the Federal arras. Hunter had succeeded in turning the 
flank of the enemy, and masses of fugitive Mississippians, 
retreating before his advancing columns, gave evidence 
that the tide of victory was his. But as the Federal 
troops pressed forward in pursuit, new batteries, till then 
concealed in the rear, opened their deadly mouths upon, 
them, hurling death into their serried ranks. The foe 
here fought indeed with the utmost desperation. Occa- 
sionally a furious charge from their retiring columns 
would recover for a moment the lost advantage ; but it 
would be only to suffer in return a new reverse, and to 
commence a new retreat. Then again fresh batteries, 
skillfully masked, would open upon the advancing 
victors, inflicting upon them additional penalties for their 
success. But the general sweep of the contest here was 
favorable to the Federal army. Hunter and Heintzelman 
were successively progressing toward a junction with 
Tyler, and the arc of a grand and overwhelming circle 



IS-i A HISTORY OF 

of destruction and defeat was being inexorably drawn 
around the Eebel host. And now cheer after cheer 
rose upon the air, which were wafted by the breeze 
over the field, from one portion of the exultant and 
victorious troops to another. 

At half-past twelve, it may with truth be asserted 
that, in all essential respects, a decisive triumph had been 
gained by the Federal arms. Hunter and Heintzelman 
had penetrated far into the position of the enemy. On 
the heights toward the enemy's left, regiment after regi- 
ment of the foe had been driven in by the heroic charges 
of our troops. Fresh regiments could be discovered by 
the distant observer, hastening up to the support of those 
which were wavering ; and then, after a desperate 
combat, the whole defeated mass could be seen to recoil, 
and to plunge into a promiscuous retreat. The Federals 
made such impetuous assaults, that the personal presence 
and frantic efforts of Beauregard himself could not 
resist them. Whole regiments of the Eebels were here 
cut to pieces, and the torn and scattered fragments were 
hurled back in fearful panic and disorder. But still, 
such was the marvelous ability with which that com- 
mander had fortified his position, that fresh triumphs and 
fresh pursuits on the part of the Federal troops only 
conducted them into the jaws of additional batteries, 
which had been posted and concealed in endless succes- 
sion, up to the very centre of his position at Manassas ; 
so that it seemed as if Satanic skill and malignity had 
contrived an inevitable ruin for the victors. Notwith- 
standing all this, the deadly toils were gradually drawing 
closer around the foe. His desperate efforts were be- 
coming more and more impotent. He had abandoned all 
his breastworks, in this portion of the field, except one ; 
and even this was stormed later in the day by several 



THE SOUTHERjST REBELLION, 185 

regiments whicli were the last to abandon the contest 
and join in the retreat. , 

At one o'clock on this memorable day the Eebel host 
at Manassas, in spite of all their advantages of position 
and of numbers, were virtually defeated. This may he 
proved even hy their own concessions. Thus, the special 
correspondent of the Louisville Courier declared, in a com- 
munication to that paper, after stating that General 
Tyler's attack on the centre of the Eebel position was 
not discovered to be a mere feint until almost too late, 
that reinforcements were then sent to the troops who 
were resisting the ^attack of Hunter and Heintzelman, 
From that part of the field he confessed that they had 
"been driven back some two miles." He added: "Now 
came the tug of war. The fortunes of the day were 
evidently against us. Some of our best officers were 
slain, and the flower of our army lay strewn on the field, 
ghastly in death or gaping with wounds. At noon the 
cannonading is described as terrific. It was an incessant 
roar for more than two hours, the havoc and devastation 
at this time being fearful. McDowell was just in the act 
of possessing himself of the railway to Richmond. Then 
all would have been lost. But most opportunely, I may 
say providentially, at this juncture General Johnston, 
with the remnant of his division, reappeared and made 
one other desperate struggle to obtain the vantage 
ground." 

A similar concession was subsequently made by the 
correspondent of the Charleston Mercury, who, when 
describing the death of General Bee, the commander of 
the South Carolinians on this day, said : 

" The brunt of the morning's battle was sustained by 
his (Bee's) command until past twelve o'clock. Over- 
whelmed by superior' numbers, and compelled to yield to 



~1 



186 A HISTORY OF 

a fire that swept every thing before it, General Bee rode 
up and down his lines, encouraging his troops by every 
thing that was dear to them, to stand up and repel the 
tide which threatened them with destruction. At last — 
his own brigade dwindled to a mere handful, with every 
field officer killed or disabled — he rode up to General 
Jackson and said : ' General, they are beating us back !' " 

To this testimony we may add the admissions of the 
Eichmond Dlspatdi. The correspondent of that paper 
wrote as follows : " Between two and three o'clock large 
numbers of men were leaving the field, some of them 
wounded, others exhausted by the long struggle, who 
gave us gloomy reports ; but as the fire on both sides 
continued steadily, we felt sure that our brave Southern- 
ers had not been conquered by the overwhelming hordes 
of the North. It is, however, due to truth to say, that 
the result at this hour hung trembling in the balance. 
We had lost numbers of our most distinguished officers. 
Generals Bartow and Bee had been stricken down; 
Colonel Johnston, of the Hampton Legion, had been 
killed, and Colonel Hampton had been wounded. Your 
correspondent heard General Johnston say to General 
Cocke, just at this critical moment, 'Oh, for four regi- 
ments !' His wish was answered, for in the distance our 
reinforcements appeared. The tide of battle turned in 
our favor by the arrival of General Kirby Smith, from 
"Winchester, with four thousand of General Johnston's 
division." 

It is perfectly evident from such statements, of the 
highest authority, as well as from the position of affairs 
on the scene of conflict, that previous to the arrival of 
Johnston's army on the field the strength of the Rebels 
was broken, and that victory had been legitimately 
earned by the Federal arms. At this crisis the fire of 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 187 

the enemy had become languid. All over the ensan- 
guined hills and plains their remaining guns responded 
slowly and feebly. At two o'clock the foe seemed ex- 
tremely disheartened and confused. Three times had 
they been dislodged from a locality known as "a hill 
with a house on it," which was one of the strongest 
positions on the field. At that point the enemy was 
commanded by General Beauregard in person ; and his 
troops had been driven a mile and a half from the fiercely 
contested point, notwithstanding the utmost efforts of 
that able commander. • This discomfiture, which had 
been accomplished by the regiments under Heintzelraan, 
added still more to the desperate nature of the situation 
of the Rebels. And yet, after all this heroism and this 
success, when victory seemed inevitable to the Federal 
arms, when the exhausted host of the Eebel chiefs ap- 
peared to be in extremis, the final issue was completely 
reversed, and one of the most disgraceful retreats which 
is inscribed on the historic page, ensued. How was this 
unexpected and wonderful catastrophe produced ? 

It was about three o'clock when large bodies of troops 
were observed by the Federal commanders, darkening 
the hill-tops in the farthest distance opposite the centre 
of the battle-field. Soon they were seen hastening to 
join in the conflict ; and their secession banners waving 
in the breeze, and the freshness and vigor of their move- 
ments, clearly proved that they were reinforcements, 
which had endured nothing of the heat, the exhaustion, 
or the agony of the long struggle. They were in fact a 
portion of the army of General Johnston ; who, having 
made good their escape from Winchester, had arrived by 
railroad at the Junction, and were now hastening to the 
field to rescue the cause of the Rebels from destruction. 
This terrible apparition, at such a time and in such a 



188 A HISTOEY OF 

juncture, miglit well liave appalled the stoutest heart ; 
yet, at the .moment of its occurrence, no thought of flight 
existed, and additional troops were ordered forward to 
confront the advancing masses. Among these were three 
Connecticut regiments, the fourth of Maine and the first 
Tyler Brigade. 

Notwithstanding the prodigious exertions which these 
Federal troops had already made during the protracted 
contest, they approached their new foes with the utmost 
heroism. A terrible onslaught ensued between them. 
One battery was eight times taken and eight times lost. 
Meanwhile fresh accessions to the Eebel forces were 
arriving in successive trains. They deployed upon the 
field, and were gradually and stealthily winding them- 
selves around the left of the Federal army, with the 
evident purpose of surrounding them and cutting off 
their retreat. Nevertheless, an hour of the most des- 
perate fighting ensued, during which prodigies of valor 
were performed by our exhausted troops. Still, how- 
ever, the deluge of fresh reinforcements to the enemy 
continued to pour down upon the field. The left of the 
Federal army was slowly becoming surrounded and 
their rear attained. The fresh troops of the Eebels 
rushed upon their opponents in successive tides with 
sanguinary fury. One regiment of Mississippians, armed 
with immense bowie knives, fell upon them with the 
yells of maniacs and the ferocity of fiends. Then it was 
that, for the first time during the long and desperate 
conflict, our troops began to exhibit confusion and 
dismay, and the first indication of a panic commenced to 
appear. A vast body of Rebel cavalry now came pour- 
ing out of the woods upon our left, attacked the troops 
which happened to be near them, and assailed a multitude 
of unarmed teamsters, who, without any orders to that 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 189 

effect, had moved tlieir wagons forward with the general 
advance. The fatal panic which had arisen now spread 
rapidly from regiment to regiment. IMasses of men, in 
the utmost disorder, rushed down from the distant hills 
in full' retreat. The flight became general, and then 
ensued that marvelous and ignominious stampede from 
Manassas to Washington, which will forever remain one 
of the chief wonders and scandals of American history. 

No reasonable person will condemn the Federal troops 
at Manassas for not maintaining the advantage they 
had gained, or even for retreating. A complete djefeat, 
under such circumstances, was excusable. The crime 
which cannot be palliated or forgiven is, that the flight 
should have been continued so long and so far ; that such 
extreme disorder and frantic fear, such groundless despair 
and such excesses of weakness, so total an oblivion of 
all shame, and such a disregard of the dignity of man- 
hood, should have characterised the conduct of men who 
had exhibited such admirable heroism and endurance so 
shortly before. 

Eegiment after regiment now came rushing along the 
road and over the fields toward Centreville. But soon 
all distinctions of regiments and companies, of infantry, 
cavalry and artillery, were lost. The confusion of Babel 
was synthetic order and perfect symmetry wh^n compared 
with .the chaotic confusion which now prevailed. Many 
of the men threw away their arms and knapsacks, lest 
they might be impeded in their escape. The heavy guns 
were abandoned, the traces cut, and the horses, covered 
with fugitives clinging to them on all sides, were spurred 
forward in the flight. Soon the passage became choked 
with private conveyances, with terrified civilians, with 
broken gun carriages, all tumbling and crashing against 
each other. Wounded horses plunged to and fro in the 



190 A HISTORY OF 

midst of tlie demented mass of human beings.. Many 
were crushed to death. Many threw themselves upon 
the earth, being either wounded or exhausted, and unable 
to continue their flight. A few officers indeed en- 
deavored to stem the tide and stop the panic, but their 
efforts were utterly fruitless. Thus the tumultuous 
sweep of fugitive wretches continued to roll onward 
without the least pause or abatement, until they reached 
Centreville. There the presence of the reserve under 
General Miles, and especially Blenker's brigade, tended 
to diminish the disorder to some extent. But this effect 
was only partial. The great mass continued to hurry 
forward to Fairfax, to Alexandria, and even to Washing- 
ton, where they arrived during the ensuing night and 
day. Our dead and wounded were left on the battle- 
field. Much heavier losses of artillery and ammunition 
occurred during the flight than during the engagement. 
No officer eminent for ability on the Federal side had 
fallen. The loss of the Eebel army in this particular 
was much greater than that of their opponents. The 
only pursuit attempted by the victorious and astonished 
enemy was made with their cavalry, and the assaults of 
these were effectually terminated at Centreville by the 
vigorous charges and deadly aim of Blenker's rifle 
brigade. That officer even recovered some of the guns 
which had been abandoned during the flight. 

Thus ended the battle, the defeat and the rout of 
Manassas. At first the loss on the Federal side was 
supposed to be much greater than actually proved to be 
the case ; as was subsequently demonstrated by the offi- 
cial return made by General McDowell to the Govern- 
ment. According to that return, the Federal army lost 
four hundred and eighty-one killed, one thousand and 
eleven wounded, twelve hundred and sixteen missing. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 191 

The missing included the prisoners taken by the enemy, 
and those who, having escaped from the slaughter, never 
returned to the service. The number of artillery lost 
was seventeen rifled cannon, eight small-bore guns, 
twenty-five hundred muskets, and thirty boxes of old 
firearms. But, though the Rebels had obtained a victory, 
there never was an instance in whicb conquerors more 
signally failed to improve their advantages. One of the 
highest arts of a military commander, is the art of follow- 
ing up effectually the opportunities which the favor of 
fortune may have bestowed upon him ; and more ability 
has been displayed by some generals in the skill with 
which they turned a triumph to good account, than they 
exhibited in gaining it. Many other generals have 
shown higher genius in the success with which they have 
averted the consequences of a defeat, than their success- 
ful opponents exhibited in gaining the victory. In the 
present case it proved almost a barren triumph on the 
one side, and nearly a harmless repulse on the other. 
The Rebels might, in the midst of that overwhelming 
and preposterous panic, have marched upon Washington, 
entered it, dispersed or captured the officers of the 
Federal Government, and thus have struck a blow 
as deadly and decisive as that which Hannibal might 
have inflicted, if, immediately after the terrible slaughter 
at Cannas, he had thundered with his legions at the gates 
of Rome, and had taken possession of the Eternal City. 
But, like Hannibal, Beauregard failed to improve the 
propitious moment ; and, that moment being once lost in 
the vicissitudes of nations, it never returns again. 



192 



A HISTOBY OF 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE IMPRESSION PRODUCED ON THE PUBLIC BY THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS — 

VARIOUS CAUSES OF THE FEDERAL DEFEAT — THE PRECEDING MARCH 

INFERIORITY OF NUMBERS — EFFECT OF MASKED BATTERIES — INCOMPE- 
TENT OR INEXPERIENCED OFFICERS REMOTE POSITION OF THE RE- 
SERVES PERNICIOUS PRESENCE OF SPECTATORS THE COUP-DE-GRACE 

ARRIVAL OF GENERAL JOHNSTON's TROOPS ON THE FIELD IMMENSE 

LOSSES OF THE REBEL ARMY — WAS THE DEFEAT IN REALITY A MISFOR- 
TUNE TO THE UNION — ITS IMMEDIATE EFFECTS — ITS INFLUENCE ON THE 

ARMY ITS INFLUENCE ON THE ADMINISTRATION IT BECAME THE 

MEANS OF AVERTING GREATER CALAMITIES IT WAS THE CAUSE OF 

SUBSEQUENT SUCCESS TO THE FEDERAL FORCES. 

The defeat of the Federal army at Manassas over- 
whelmed the nation with astonishment, indignation and 
shame. They were astonished^ because such a catas- 
trophe was previously considered as beyond the range of 
possibility. They were indignant^ because they regarded 
it as the result of inexcusable neglect, incapacity and 
cowardice. They were mortified, because victory had 
graced the arms of an enemy whom they despised and 
execrated. 

Various theories were subsequently offered to account 
for the occurrence of this disaster. At the present time, 
when the excitement and confusion of the crisis have 
passed away, and men may scrutinize events calmly and 
dispassionately, it is evident that the causes of it can be 
easily indicated; so clearly, indeed, as to show that a 
contrary result must have been almost impossible. A 
number of adverse events conspired to produce the defeat 
of the Federal army, though som.e of these were more 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION, 193 

important and more potent than others. In tbe first 
place, it was evidently imprudent to exhaust the physical 
energies of the Federal troops, by marching them from 
two o'clock in the morning, immediately before engaging 
the enemy. The physical powers of men have their 
limits of endurance ; and when we remember that the 
battle continued to rage during the whole day, from sun- 
rise almost until sunset, it is not singular that, toward 
the termination of the struggle, the strength of the troops 
should have become exhausted. Nor did the Federal 
commanders gain an3''thing on the score of secresy, by 
thus postponing the march until the day of the battle ; 
for the enemy were amply forewarned of their approach 
when they lay at Centre vi lie. 

It is evident also that the number of Federal troops 
was too small, and was inadequate to the difficult service 
of assailing and taking Manassas. Not much more tlian 
twenty thousand men took part in the engagement ; and 
against these twenty thousand there were arrayed in the 
end, nearly forty thousand ; who, in addition to their 
superiority in numbers, possessed also an important 
advantage in being familiar with the ground, in being 
fresh to the encounter, and in being entrenched behind 
powerful batteries. The peculiar manner in which these 
batteries had been arranged contributed greatly to the 
Federal defeat. The guns of the enemy, in this instance, 
were placed at irregular and zigzag points, in endless 
retrocession ; so that as soon as the troops which served 
one of their batteries had been overpowered, and were 
compelled to give way, they merely fell back upon other 
guns served by fresh men, who received the advancing 
victors with a fresh volley of shot and shell. The 
Federal troops took many of these batteries seriatim ; 
they drove the Rebels for more than a mile from battery 
13 



194 .A HISTORY OF 

to battery ; and yet they still encountered other guns, 
which were worked with an energy and effect equal to 
the first. The peculiar manner in which these batteries 
were hidden added to their formidableness. They were 
so masked and concealed, either by brushwood or by 
being planted in holes dug in the ground, with their 
muzzles only protruding above the surface of the earth, 
that they were invisible to the assailants, and were 
thereby rendered more deadly. 

It must also be admitted that, though the men fought 
bravely, many of the subaltern officers were utterly in- 
competent to perform their duties. There were many 
majors, colonels, lieutenants, and other ofiicers, who had 
never received any military training, who possessed no 
military knowledge or experience, and who were useless 
on the battle field. Nor will this appear singular when 
we remember that many of the ofl^icers were mere civil- 
ians, whose patriotism or ambition had urged them to 
enter the career of arms, and who had been able to 
obtain military rank, without possessing a particle of 
militai-y skill. It is not possible for such men, however 
intelligent they may be, to acquire a competent knowl- 
edge of military affairs by six weeks' drilling. What 
little they may have been able to learn during that 
interval would be of small service in the midst of the 
fearful excitement and confusion of an actual battle. 
The drill-room is a very different arena from the tumul- 
tuous field of strife and blood. A scientific military 
training is just as indispensable to the officer on land, as 
it is to the ofiicer at sea. Naval tactics are not more 
intricate and difl&cult than those of the land service. 
Let us suppose that a British fleet of a hundred sail 
suddenly menaced the Atlantic coast ; that an American 
fleet of equal strength was sent to attack them ; and that 



THE SOUTHERX REBELLION. 195 

this fleet was for the most part commanded and officered 
bj men who had never before sailed upon the deep, much 
less had charge of a vessel, and had only six weeks' ex- 
perience in studying the details of naval architecture, 
service and warfare. It is clear that the sailors might 
be brave, the ships might be staunch, the artillery might 
be powerful, the officers might be personally heroic ; but 
that such a fleet, in the face of a veteran British arma- 
ment, would be battered to pieces, and the wrecks of our 
vessels would soon be scattered far and wide over the 
ocean and the strand. It must be thus with any land 
force officered by lawyers, merchants and other civilians, 
who, in a moment of danger, take commands in it. So 
incompetent were some of these officers, that it is certain 
that many of the orders of General McDowell were never 
delivered to those to whom they were sent ; and thus 
fatal errors were committed, against the express precau- 
tions of the chief officer. 

It is probable that the position of the reserve under 
General Miles was much too far in the rear, to be of 
actual service in the crisis of the battle. Seven miles 
is manifestly too great a distance to intervene between 
the main body of an army, and the reinforcements which 
must be used in the last extremity. If, when the troops 
of Johnston deployed upon the field, the regiments 
stationed at Centreville could have marched against them 
and checked their advance, the issue of the day might 
have been different. The field was also encumbered 
with a host of spectators and visitors, whose presence 
was most pernicious. If all went well, their shouts 
would indeed rend the heavens and cheer the victors. 
But if any disaster occurred, they would be the first to 
set the example of cowardice, and their flight would 
"Jievitably become contagious with troops who had 



196 A HISTORY OF 

already been disheartened by the duration and diflSculty 
of the struggle. Such actually proved to be the result 
at Manassas. Prominent in that vast and tumultuous 
torrent of retreating men were to be seen terrified and 
frantic civilians ; and among the many who, on that day, 
fled in hot haste, they led the van, and kept it. 

It is clear also that many minor blunders were com 
mitted which served to consummate the disaster. The 
unarmed teamsters were permitted to advance with their 
wagons too near the enemy, and within the range of their 
attack. The Federal army was not sufficiently provided 
with cavalry to pursue the retreating foe. Proper care 
was not taken, when batteries had been captured, to 
secure possession of them, and turn them upon the 
Eebels. The left flank and the rear of the Federal army 
were not suitably guarded against attack. An order to 
fall back a short distance was mistaken for a general 
order to retreat. To this must be added the desperate 
courage of the Eebel troops, the skill and bravery of the 
Rebel commanders, and the immense advantages of their 
position. 

Nevertheless, all these causes combined together would 
not have inflicted the repulse at Manassas, had it not 
been for another and a still more potent cause. It would 
have been a victory to the Federal arms, or at least a 
drawn battle, had not the troops of General Johnston 
arrived by railway from Winchester, and deployed upon 
the field precisely at the critical moment. That calamity 
turned the scale with decisive and resistless effect. The 
prodigious influence produced by the sudden accession 
of fresh troops on the battle-field, to one side or to the 
other, after a long and obstinate struggle, has been illus- 
trated by the issue of many of the most memorable 
conflicts of modern times. Thus, the great battle of 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 197 

"Wagram was lost by the Austrians, after tliey had in 
effect wrested the victory from Napoleon by prodigies 
of valor, because the Archduke John did not reach the 
field with his reinforcement of eighteen thousand troops, 
as he had been expressly ordered to do ; which accession 
would have completely broken the exhausted lines of the 
French. It is well known that at Waterloo, the issue 
of the day depended entirely upon the fact whether 
Bliicher would arrive with his Prussians to reinforce the 
English, or Grouchy would arrive with his division to 
reinforce Napoleon. Bliicher rushed upon the field 
when "Wellington was almost frantic with despair, and 
thereby changed the fortunes of the world. Thus also 
at the battle of Inkermann, forty thousand Russians 
attacked fifteen thousand British troops. After a pro- 
tracted and desperate conflict the latter were about to 
break, when the arrival of a large French force under 
General Bosquet decided the issue of the engagement. 
It was precisely thus with the battle of Manassas. The 
accession of Johnston's regiments turned the scale, and 
wrested the triumph from the wearied hands of the ex- 
hausted victors. 

By whose fault it was that Johnston was permitted to 
make good his hurried march to Manassas, we are not 
prepared to say. It was expected that the* junction 
would be prevented by the division under General 
Robert Patterson ; but whether the force under his com- 
mand was sufficiently large to enable him to achieve that 
result, it is not for us to determine. General McDowell, 
however, asserted in his official report of the battle, that 
it was expressly understood when he assumed the com- 
mand of the army marching against Manassas, that he 
was not to encounter the troops of Johnston; and that 
declaration, thus boldly and publicly made, was never 



198 A HISTORY OF 

contradicted. If therefore the force under Patterson was 
not sufficiently numerous to intercept Johnston, it was a 
measure of indispensable importance that it should have 
been rendered such, before the advance of McDowell 
toward Manassas was commenced. 

It was natural that the Eebels should exult with 
frantic joy, and with boundless exaggeration, over their 
unexpected victory. The reports which were diffused 
throughout the Southern States in reference to it ex- 
ceeded any thing ever exhibited before in the art of 
misrepresentation. It was confidently asserted that the 
Federal army had been composed of a hundred thousand 
men; that twenty thousand had been slain and wounded ; 
that thirty thousand handcuffs had been taken, with 
which the Federals intended to manacle the defeated 
Confederates; that sixty pieces of artillery had been 
captured, with an innumerable number of knapsacks, and 
with provisions enough to support the Confederate army 
for months. The result of these fabrications was, that 
the whole South became still more enthusiastic for the 
war ; and many who, till then, had been reluctant to 
enter the struggle, now rushed forward, enlisted, and 
commenced with martial ardor to swarm northward 
toward Richmond. 

Soon, however, this general exultation began to give 
place to sadder and more sober thoughts, when the details 
of the losses of the Eebels at Manassas began to be 
known throughout the South. Then it was that they 
discovered at what an enormous price their victory had 
been bought ; and, like Pyrrhus of old, after vanquishing 
the Romans, they might exclaim, that another such 
triumph would complete their ruin. The Eebels had 
lost many of their best officers. They made great exer- 
tions to conceal the precise number of their dead and 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLIOlSr. 199 

wounded ; so much so that even Southern journals com- 
plained that the relatives of the soldiers who fought at 
Manassas, could obtain no information as to whether they 
were living or dead. Every thing was concealed on that 
subject for a long time. The reason was, that a knowl- 
edge of the real facts would have appalled and disheart- 
ened the people by the horrid details involved in them. 
But such secresy could not always be preserved ; and at 
length certain revelations began to leak out, which 
opened the eyes of men as to the actual state of the case. 
Thus, among other instances, the Richmond Disj^aich, 
when applauding the heroism of the eighth Georgia regi- 
ment, declared that " at length the}^ withdrew from the 
fight. Their final rally was made with some sixty men 
out of the six hundred they took in." This regiment, 
thus almost annihilated, was succeeded by the seventh 
Georgia regiment, who actually met the same fate, their 
commanding of&cer. Colonel Barton, being killed. One 
Louisiana regiment lost three hundred men out of eight 
hundred. The Hampton Legion and an Alabama regi- 
ment were almost totally destroyed by the terrible 
charges of the New York sixty-ninth and seventy-ninth. 
Single facts like these demonstrate how terrific and over- 
whelming the grand total loss must have been on the 
Rebel side. It was manifestly much greater than the 
Federal loss ; and it is not improbable that five or six 
thousand in killed and wounded were the number of the 
enemy placed hors du combat. 

In view of indisputable facts like these, it coukl 
scarcely be affirmed that the result of this engagement 
was very advantageous to the cause of the Rebel re- 
public ; while on the other hand, it may with truth be 
asserted, that under the outward and forbidding guise 
of a reverse, the general result of the catastrophe at 



200 



A HISTORY OF 



Manassas was propitious to the interests of the Federal 
Union. This declaration, which seems very like a para- 
dox or an absurdity, we believe to be strictly true ; and 
we will briefly state the grounds of this opinion. As 
adversity is often the wisest and best school for the 
individual learner, so also is it often the wisest and best 
school for the national learner. Especially in military 
affairs, a few disasters at the commencement of a war 
produce a beneficial effect. Many celebrated commanders 
began their careers with serious defeats, and by those 
very defeats were taught how afterward to triumph more 
gloriously. Frederic the Great, to whom reference has 
already been made, confessed that the first clear insight 
which he obtained into the military art, was when he 
was compelled by Charles of Lorraine to retreat with 
heavy losses from Silesia, at an early stage of the Seven 
Years War; yet Frederic subsequently became the 
greatest general of his age. "William of Orange, after- 
ward king of England, acquired more military skill from 
his defeats by the Prince de Conde than by all his other 
studies and experiences combined. The Emperor Charles 
V. of Germany, who agitated Europe during many years 
by his contests with the chivalrous Francis I., generally 
commenced his campaigns against that monarch with 
disasters, but invariably closed them with supremacy and 
triumph. 

Now it is well known that the American people began 
the war against Secession with an undue contempt of the 
resources and the prowess of the Eebels. No proper 
conception was entertained of the difficulty and intensity 
of the struggle which was about to commence. It was 
generally believed that the Southern soldiers would not 
fight ; that they possessed no powers of physical endur- 
ance; that they were enervated by drunkenness and 



THE SOUTHEEN' REBELLION". 201 

debauchery ; that their conquest would be an easy and 
rapid achievement. All these were gross and fatal delu- 
sions ; but the result of their prevalence was, that a spirit 
of extreme carelessness and frivolity pervaded the 
Federal army. A reckless temper characterized the 
public journals. The march to Eichmond was to be a 
grand and exciting hunt for Rebels ; and the most rare 
and excellent sport would be the entertainment of those 
who took part in the chase, and of those who accom- 
panied it as spectators. With this hilarious spirit the 
army marched gaily forth toward Manassas. Inexcusa- 
ble neglect characterized every thing connected with their 
advance. Their numbers were deficient ; their ammuni- 
tion was not properly supplied ; the men had received 
but little drilling ; and some of the oflScers, it was 
charged, were on this occasion intoxicated. 

Let us suppose that this army had been successful at 
Manassas; and that, after a short and perhaps a feigned 
resistance, the Rebel forces had retreated toward Eich- 
mond. Elated with the easily-earned victory, entertain- 
ing still more contemptuous and absurd sentiments 
respecting the prowess of the enemy, our troops would 
have become more reckless and imprudent than before. 
As they advanced further into the bowels of the 
hostile country, the dangers which surrounded them 
would become much greater. Then, at length, when a 
facile and safe retreat to the entrenchments at Washing- 
ton would be rendered impossible, even by a Bull Eun 
race ; when the army of the Ecbels had been increased to 
three times the number it contained at Manassas ; when 
our officers and soldiers were regardless of prudence and 
vigilance, another attack would be made upon them. Is 
it not perfectly evident that the probability, the certainty 
even, is, that in that dreadful and unequal onslaught 



202 A HISTORY OF 

scarcely a single man Avould have escaped, and that a 
calamity far greater than that at Manassas would have 
ensued to the Federal army, to the nation's honor, and 
to the cause of the Union ? 

But the effect produced upon the Federal troops by 
the check at Manassas was instantaneous and redeeming. 
Their eyes were at once opened to the terrific depths of 
that abyss toward which they had been madly rushing. 
They acquired more valuable information by one day of 
defeat than they would have attained by ten days of 
victory. The blow brought them to their senses, and 
sobered them at once. How soon was a new spirit 
infused into the service! How quickly did the most 
rigid discipline, the most careful precautions, the most 
extensive and systematic preparations, take the place of 
the previous neglect, laxity and bravado ! Every de- 
partment of the army underwent a thorough reformation ; 
and soon there was assembled, under the national colors, 
a well drilled, well-appointed, formidable force of several 
hundred thousand men. But nothing of this would have 
existed, had not the defeat at Manassas taught the nation 
and the Government wisdom. Therefore, we repeat, that 
that defeat was in reality not a misfortune, but a benefit 
to the Federal arms, and to the interests of the Union. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 203 



CHAPTER XII. 

INCKEASED ENERGY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT — EVENTS IN MISSOURI 
— IMPORTANT BATTLE AT CARTHAGE — RETROGRADE MOVEMENT OP 
GENERAL LYON TO SPRINGFIELD — PURSUIT OF THE REBELS UNDER 

GENERALS MCCULLOCH AND PRICE CONDITION OF THEIR ARMY 

REASONS WHY GENERAL LYON ENGAGED THE ENEMY THE GREAT 

BATTLE OF SPRINGFIELD DISPOSITION OF THE FEDERAL FORCES 

TEMPORARY SUCCESS OF THE REBELS — INCIDENTS OF THE CONTEST 

HEROISM OP GENERAL LYON — HIS LAST EFFORT AGAINST THE ENEMY — 
ITS SUCCESS — GENERAL LYOn'S DEATH — DISCOMFITURE OF GENERAL 

SIGEL RESULTS OF THE BATTLE SKETCH OP GENERAL LYON — HIS 

RARE MERITS GENERAL FREMONT MADE COMMANDANT OF THE DEPART- 
MENT OF MISSOURI — HIS POLICY AND MEASURES — HIS ANTI-SLAVERY 

PROCLAMATION IT IS MODIFIED BY PRESIDENT LINCOLN THE WAR 

AGAINST SECESSION NOT A WAR AGAINST SLAVERY. 

Immediately after the battle of Manassas, the Federal 
Government was busily employed in making every 
possible preparation to defend Washington against an 
apprehended attack from the Rebel forces. The .loyal 
States were called upon to send large masses of troops 
without delay to the Federal Capital. This requisition 
was speedily and heartily complied with ; and in the 
course of a few weeks, as we have stated, several hundred 
thousand armed men rallied around the seat of govern- 
ment. At the same time, various other measures, re- 
quired by the peculiar exigencies of the occasion, were 
adopted. General McClellan was summoned from West- 
ern Virginia to Washington ; other of&cers of merit, includ- 
ing Fremont, Wool, Banks and Lyon, were promoted to 
positions of importance ; and soon the Administration of 
Mr. Lincoln which seemed by one deadly blow to have 



204 A HISTORY OF 

been brougtit to the very verge of ruin, presented to tlie 
enemy a front much more formidable and defiant than 
that which it had exhibited before the battle of Manassas. 
No military operations of any importance were destined 
to occur in that vicinity for several months ; but hostili- 
ties were carried on with great vigor in the southwestern 
department of the Republic. 

We have already described the process by which the 
State of Missouri became the scene of conflict between 
two hostile parties which had arisen within its borders ; 
and how its inhabitants had become much divided on 
the subject of their allegiance to the Union. The first 
important conflict which occurred between them, took 
place at Carthage, on the 5th of July, 1861, where eight 
thousand Missouri Eebels, commanded by the pseudo- 
Governor Jackson, attacked two thousand Federal troops, 
under Colonel Sigel. The battle was a desperate one. 
Notwithstanding the immense advantage of numbers on 
the Rebel side, their loss was very heavy, and the 
general issue of the day was adverse to them. This 
result was chiefly due to the superior skill with which 
Colonel Sigel served and directed his artillery. General 
Lyon, who commanded another Federal force in the 
State, was ninety miles distant from Carthage at the 
period of the battle, amd was therefore unable to effect a 
junction with Sigel. Nowhere, in any portion of the 
Union, had the ruinous effects of civil war been as 
terrible as within the limits of Missouri ; for at this time, 
throughout a large portion of the State, especially to the 
south of the Missouri river, solitude and desolation 
reigned throughout the country. Nearly all the houses 
and plantations had been deserted by their inhabitants. 
Wheat, corn, and the various products of the earth, 
rotted unharvested. In other portions of the State the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 205 

dominion of terror prevailed, and there was no protection 
for life or property to the citizen or the stranger. 

As soon as General Lyon received the details of the 
battle of Carthage, he fell back with the troops under his 
command to Springfield. He had been informed that a 
powerful Rebel force under McCulloch and Price were 
advancing upon him by several different routes. He 
expected an immediate attack, inasmuch as he was as- 
sured that their commissariat was in a miserable condi- 
tion, and they would be compelled at once literally either 
to fight or to starve. General Lyon was well aware of 
the critical nature' of his position. The Rebel force had 
swelled to an immense multitude of desperate, disorderly, 
and sanguinary adventurers, twenty thousand in number, 
whose attack, though irregular, would still be energetic 
and destructive. His own troops did not then exceed 
five thousand men ; but they were well fed and clothed, 
and provided with a powerful battery of artillery. His 
army had been increased to that number by the junction 
of the force under Colonel Sigel; and he made every 
preparation which an able and skillful commander could 
possibly employ, to confront and overpower the danger 
which impended over him. The battle of Springfield, 
which soon ensued, was one of the most bloody and 
desperate which had occurred during the pri)gress of the 
war; and the conduct of General Lyon, on this occa- 
sion, covered his name and his memory with enduring 
renown. 

It was on the seventh of August that the Rebel force 
under McCulloch and Price reached a position twelve 
miles distant from Springfield. The inhabitants of that 
town at once became panic-stricken at the proximity of 
the foe ; and earnest api)cals were made to General Lyon 
to induce him to withdraw his troops from the place, and 



206 A HISTOET OF 

not to subject it, by his presence, to the horrors of an 
attack. Many of his ofl&cers, discouraged by the im- 
mense superiority in numbers which the enemy possessed, 
regarded the risking of a battle as the height of impru- 
dence ; and asserted that it would lead to inevitable 
defeat. A council of war was called, and a majority 
were in favor of retreating at once toward Eolla. But 
General Sweeney earnestly opposed the measure, and 
General Lyon coincided with his bolder counsel. The 
considerations which induced the commander to risk a 
battle were the following : 

It was very true, indeed, that his numbers were 
greatly inferior to those of the enemy. He had repeat- 
edly besought the Federal Government to reinforce him ; 
and had set forth with clearness and power, the reasons 
which rendered such a course imperative. But the 
Government was either unable or unwilling to comply 
and he was left to his fate. But it was also evident that 
a retreat from Springfield would, at that critical moment, 
be highly pernicious to the cause of the Union in Mis 
souri, and might produce the most disastrous effects 
Thousands would thenceforth regard the Eebels as irre 
sistible, and identify themselves with their side. A 
defeat even would be preferable after a battle, than a 
flight without a conflict. But, like a brave and gallant 
officer, Lyon anticipated a victory even against over 
whelming odds ; and he resolved to try the issue of a 
desperate and deadly conflict. His first plan was to 
make a night attack on the foe ; but his arrangements 
could not be completed until several hours after the 
appointed time. He then determined to postpone the 
engagement until the next day. This was Saturday, 
August 10th, 1861. 

At eight o'clock on the preceding evening Colonel 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 207 

Sigel was ordered to march with his command, with that 
of Colonel Solomon, in a southward direction from 
Springfield; to pass around the camp of the enemy un- 
observed ; to take a position in their rear, and when he 
heard the guns of Lyon's division in the front, to com- 
mence an attack on the Eebels. Sigel accomplished this 
journey by two o'clock on Saturday morning. He had 
taken six cannon with him. General Lyon advanced 
from Springfield with all the troops under his command 
during Friday night, and reached the position of the 
enemy, nine miles south of that town, at four o'clock in 
the morning. He then halted until the hour of attack 
arrived. At six o'clock the action commenced. The 
Eebels were posted in an advantageous position. Their 
camp had been placed at the northern end of a verdant 
vale ; but their troops were drawn out to meet the 
Federals upon the hills which intervened between them 
and their camp. The pickets of the latter were first 
driven in. Then Captain Wright, with four companies 
of mounted Home Guards, skirmished with a small body 
of horsemen who' had taken a position in advance on the 
left. These were the mere lures of an ambuscade ; and, 
by retiring, they endeavored to draw the Federal detach- 
ments into a position of danger. The artifice partly 
succeeded ; for three thousand Eebels rushed upon the 
Federals, and by superiority of numbers, compelled them 
CO give way. 

By this time the Federal troops on the other extremity 
of the line had engaged the enemy. The first Missouri 
regiment, the battalion of Osterhaus, and the battery of 
Totten, were advantageously posted on an eminence ; and 
they commenced a vigorous attack upon the Eebel host 
arrayed against them. Soon the latter broke, and fled 
in confusioQ, until they reached the summit of another 



208 A HISTORY OF 

hill in the rear. The Federals pursued, but in their 
advance they encountered a fresh regiment of Louisiana 
troops. A desperate hand-to-hand fight ensued between 
them. This lasted about forty-five minutes. The Eebels 
were again routed ; and as they retired, were pursued 
till the victors reached the brow of a third eminence. 
There they encountered another fresh detachment of the 
enemy, and another desperate contest followed, more 
furious and deadly than had yet occurred. The contest 
here was also protracted, and the combatants struggled 
inch by inch for the possession of the field. The fire of 
the Rebels was very destructive, and the result was for 
a time doubtful. Fresh Iowa and Kansas troops were 
ordered forward to support those already engaged, and 
were assailed by treble their own numbers. Captain 
Gratz was slain while gallantly leading forward his men. 
Lieutenant Brown was disabled by a severe scalp wound, 
and was carried to the rear. The slaughter on both sides 
was fearful. The powerful batteries of Totten and 
Dubois, which were admirably served, mowed down the 
serried ranks of the enemy like frost work, and covered 
the ground with heaps of the wounded and the slain. But 
the vast numbers of the Rebels enabled them to repair 
their losses with new detachments, and to hurl back the 
tide of death upon their assailants. 

Thus the action became general between both armies 
along the whole line. The chief brunt of the battle had 
been borne by the Missouri, the Iowa and the Kansas 
regiments. General Lyon had superintended all the 
operations of the Federal troops. He rode fearlessly 
from regiment to regiment, encouraging the men, and 
giving the necessary orders. He had received two 
wounds, which, though painful, were not dangerous. 
Still he rode from rank to rank, inspired with a heroism 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. . 209 

which, by voice and gesture, he endeavored to communi- 
cate to his men. He well knew the mighty and over- 
whelming odds against which he and they contended; 
and when he saw unusual acts of steadiness and bravery, 
he cheered the actors with almost boyish ardor. He had 
feared, before the battle began, that the first Iowa regi- 
ment, under Colonel Merritt, would not prove staunch 
when made to confront the foe. When, however, he saw 
them pass into action under a heavy fire with the utmost 
firmness ; assault the enemy with the vigor and energy 
of veterans ; compel the successive masses of fresh troops 
which the Eebels brought forward to recoil ; relieve the 
first Missouri regiment which, after two hours of fight- 
ing, were nearly exhausted and were about giving way, 
and thus recover the advantage over the exultant foe ; 
when General Lyon observed all this he cheered the 
Iowa regiment heartily, and expressed his admiration of 
them with the utmost enthusiasm. 

At length that heroic commander resolved to make a 
still more vigorous and combined effort to overpower 
the Eebel host and secure the victory. He gave the order 
to prepare to make a general bayonet charge. When 
all was ready and the troops were about to advance, it 
was discovered that the commanding officer of the lowas 
was missing. No time was to be lost, and General Lyon 
exclaimed: "Come on, brave men! I will lead you!" 
At the head of the gallant lowas he rode forward toward 
the enemy, whose inexhaustible numbers still swelled up 
toward them like the tumultuous tides of an endless and 
fathomless sea. The charge was made, the enemy 
wavered and fled after a terrific collision ; but General 
Lyon, during the struggle, was slain. He received a 
ball in the side, fell from his horse, and immediately 
expired. About the same moment General Sweeney was 
U 



I 



210 A HISTORY OF 

•wounded in the leg and disabled. The command then 
devolved upon Major Sturgis. The partial retreat of the 
enemy now caused an interval of twenty minutes in the 
firing, after which they made a fresh assault. That 
assault was their most desperate one, but it was their 
last. The field was already covered with bleeding and 
mangled multitudes of their dead and wounded. Their 
immense hordes had been greatly thinned by the heroic 
and desperate valor of the Federal troops ; but the fire 
of Totten's battery, with the general energy and bravery 
of our men, again shattered and broke their columns, 
and again they fled. It was now eleven o'clock, and 
during five hours the battle had raged. Before retiring 
the enemy set fire to thirty or forty wagons, lest they 
might fall into the hands of the victors. 

At this time, though the Federal troops had gained a 
decisive victory, they were unable to continue the con- 
test or to make a pursuit. The reason was because the 
ammunition of Totten's battery had become exhausted, 
and because the death and wounds of so many officers on 
the Federal side diminished their confidence and vigor. 
Moreover, it had been ascertained that the troops under 
Sigel had been unfortunate, and had not effectually 
carried out their portion of the programme. As soon as 
that officer heard the guns of Lyon in the front of the 
enemy, he approached the scene of conflict and com- 
menced an attack. But he was met and overwhelmed 
by so vast a body of Rebel troops that, after a brief but 
vigorous contest, he was defeated, and compelled to give 
way. He lost five of his guns and many of his men, and 
effected nothing in favor of the Federal troops who were 
operating in front. He succeeded afterward in making 
his escape with the larger portion of his command. 
After the conclusion of the battle the whole of the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 211 

Federal array retired in good order to Springfield, and 
still later to Eolla, under the skillful guidance of Colonel 
Sigel ; tlie defeated foe making no effort to pursue them. 
The loss of the Federal troops was considerable, being 
about two hundred killed and seven hundred wounded. 
Thej took four hundred horses and seventy , prisoners. 
The loss of the enemy was much greater than our own, 
though the precise number is unknown to us. The 
battle-field was covered with gory heaps of their dead 
and wounded. Their vast superiority in numbers, and 
their formidable batteries of twenty-one guns, were the 
sole causes that they maintained the contest so long, and 
the reason why their defeat was not still more disastrous. 
The praise of superior bravery, steadiness and skill, be- 
longed to the little band of heroes who, on this bloody 
day, fought for the honor and supremacy of the immortal 
Stars and Stripes. Many of them now sleep in a soldier's 
grave ; but the noblest and bravest of them all was he 
who commanded them, and led them to victory. 

The war for the Union has not failed to develop in- 
stances of the most exalted patriotism and valor, which 
will forever elicit the grateful pride and enthusiasm of 
every lover of his country^ One of the most remarkable 
of those who have challenged the close and admiring 
scrutiny of mankind was the conqueror ©f the Eebel 
hordes at Springfield. General Nathaniel Lyon was one 
of the genuine heroes of this stormy and disastrous 
time. There was no hypocritical sham, no false or 
arrogant pretence, no mean or selfish impulse about him 
His character realized, with rare completeness and clear- 
ness, Carlyle's definition of what constitutes a genuine 
hero. Said that profound thinker, in his fourth lecture 
on neroes and Hero worship : " We have repeatedly 
endeavored to explain that all sorts of heroes are intrinsi- 



212 A HISTORY OF 

cally of the same material; that, given a great soul open 
to the divine significance of lifC; then there is given a 
man fit to speak of this, to sing of this, to fight and work 
for this, in a great, victorious, enduring manner ; there is 
given a hero, the outward shape of whom will depend on 
the time and the environment he finds himself in."* 
Every characteristic of General Lyon, and every act 
which he performed, indicated the presence and power 
of such a heroic soul within him. 

Nathaniel Lyon was born at Ashford, Connecticut, in 
the year 1819. He was well descended ; and his ances- 
tors on his mother's side distinguished themselves in the 
Eevolutionary War. One of those ancestors was the 
famous Colonel Knowlton, who commanded the Connec- 
ticut troops at the " Old Eail Fence," on the left wing 
of the patriot army at Bunker Hill. He was afterward 
killed at the battle on Harlem Heights, near New York. 
The future hero of Springfield gave indications of 
superior talent at an early age ; but the tendency of his 
mind was toward mathematical studies and mechanical 
contrivances. Having chosen the military profession, 
he entered the Academy at West Point. He graduated 
with honor in 1841, entered the regular service, rapidly 
rose to the rank of captain, and distinguished himself in 
the Mexican war. He displayed superior skill and 
bravery at Vera Cruz, Contreras, Cherubusco, and was 
wounded while fighting near the Belam Gate, in the city 
of Mexico. After the termination of the war he was 
engaged in active service in Missouri and California. 
His reputation stood high in both of those States. When 
the war of Secession began, he was chosen by the Mis- 
souri volunteers as their brigadier general. During the 

* Heroes, Hero Worship, and the Heroic in History, by Thomas 
Carlyle, page 133. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 213 

course of his adventurous life he had been familiar with 
the most difficult and dangerous kinds of service in 
Texas, Oregon, Kansas, and along the whole border of 
the western and southwestern territory of the United 
States. He was, therefore, particularly adapted to com- 
mand the Federal troops in Missouri ; and his courage- 
ous spirit found a congenial theatre for the exercise 
and display of its peculiar attributes amid the tumultu- 
ous camps, the desolate wastes, and all the semi- 
barbarous scenes connected with warfare in the outskirts 
of civilization. He was remarkable for his patriotic 
devotion to his country, and for the eagerness with which 
he sprang forward to her defence on every occasion of 
danger. To her he gave his best services, and his life. 
To her it may with truth be said, he devoted his all, for 
even his property he devised by his will to the cause of 
the Union. Being unmarried, and without domestic 
dependents, he felt at liberty to devote his wealth to that 
object which, above all others, he loved best ; and, like 
his immortal ancestors of the revolution, he consecrated 
to his country his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor. 
The deeds and fame of such a man present a rare and 
grateful theme of contemplation. "When he marched 
against the enemy at Springfield he well knew, that the 
immense superiority of numbers on the side of the Rebels 
would inevitably entail a heavy loss upon his troops, and 
that his life would probably be the forfeit of his bold- 
ness. But he also felt that the cause of the Union 
demanded an heroic venture ; he willingly made it ; and 
he met a soldier's death on the field of honor and of 
victory. 

The Federal Government discovered the necessity, at 
an early stage of the Eebellion, of forming a military 
department in Missouri, of which St. Louis should be the 



— __ —, 

214: A HISTORY OF 

capital and the centre ; and of placing it under tlie com- 
mand of an officer of ability, experience and patriotism. 
The person selected to fill this post was General John 0. 
Fremont, who had already distinguished himself in the 
annals of American conquest and exploration. When 
the Eebellion commenced, his services were demanded 
by the Government, and were rendered with the utmost 
promptitude. After his removal to St. Louis he was 
laboriously engaged in the performance of the duties of 
his office ; in fortifying that city ; in organizing the de- 
partment ; in raising an army ; and in preparing to defend 
the Union against the attacks of its foes in Missouri, In 
this station he was annoyed, and perhaps impeded, by 
the hostility of Colonel Frank P. Blair; who entertained 
the opinion that General Fremont did not exhibit the 
energy and capacity which the crisis demanded. In this 
judgment, however, the administration at Washington 
did not, for a long time, concur, and Fremont retained 
his difficult and responsible position. 

His most important and noteworthy act was the issu- 
ing of a proclamation, by which he endeavored to strike 
a powerful and deadly blow at the institution of slavery. 
In that proclamation he proclaimed, by virtue of the 
authority vested in him, that " the property, real and 
personal, of all persons in the State of Missouri, who 
shall take up arms against the United States, or who 
shall be directly proven to have taken active part with 
their enemies in the field, is declared to be confiscated to 
the public use ; and their slaves, if any they have, are hereby 
declared freemen^ This decisive step was hailed by the 
Abolitionists throughout the country with enthusiasm 
and exultation. They affirmed that now, at length, the 
axe had been laid to the root of the tree ; that the only 
true policy was therein indicated ; that all men would now 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 215 

be convinced that this was pre-eminently a war against 
slavery ; and that in proportion as the cause of the Union 
triumphed, it would, in that same degree, overturn the 
peculiar and execrable institution of the Rebel States. 
But the more conservative people of the North and the 
West regarded this proclamation of Fremont with very 
different feelings. To them it appeared like a dangerous 
and illegal, though well-meant, exercise of power ; as 
subserviency to a fanatical faction, which, as they 
thought, had always been the bane and curse of the na- 
tion ; and as an attempt to assert a false theory, to the 
effect that the war against the Rebels was in substance 
and chiefly a crusade against slavery. 

The latter opinion was the one entertained in reference 
to the matter by the administration at Washington ; and 
accordingly, Mr. Lincoln immediately addressed a letter 
to General Fremont, directing him so to modify his pro- 
clamation as to make it correspond with the provisions 
of the act of Congress which appertained to the subject, 
and which had been passed during the late extra session. 
That act expressly provided that whenever slaves should 
be required or permitted by their masters and owners, 
to take up arms against the United States, or to assist 
the Rebellion in any manner whatever, in such cases 
only the said slaves shall become free, and, their former 
owners shall forfeit all their right, title and interest in 
them. This modification of General Fremont's decree 
was very essential and material. It effectually contra- 
dicted the erroneous assertion that this was a war against 
slavery, as such ; and it thereby disarmed the Rebels of 
one of the most potent levers with which they controlled 
public sentiment and intensified popular prejudice at the 
South. Nor could any more efficient expedient have 
been employed to render the war unpopular even 



216 A HISTORY OF 

throughout the "Free States, than to diffuse abroad this 
delusion, that the war was in reality a mere crusade 
against slavery. On the contrary, it must be regarded 
by every intelligent and impartial observer, as simply 
an attempt to restore and to perpetuate the dissevered 
Union. Whatever lawful agencies would assist in ac- 
complishing that beneficent result, were employed. As 
a war to preserve the Union it received the hearty 
support of the nation ; but as an Abolition war, strictly 
speaking, it would have been rejected and discounte- 
nanced by a large proportion of those very men, whose 
blood and treasure were most lavishly expended in its 
prosecution. 



1 



THE SOUTHEKN REBELLION. 217 



CHAPTEE XIII. 

THE FEDERAL EXPEDITIONS AGAINST THE REBEL FORTS AT HATTERAS — 

THE FORCES APPROPRIATED TO THIS ENTERPRISE IMPORTANCE OF 

HATTERAS AND ITS POSSESSION SAILING OF THE EXPEDITION THE 

BOMBARDMENT THE SURRENDER OF THE FORTS — COMMODORE BARRON 

COMMODORE STRINGHAM SKETCH OF HIS CAREER RESULTS OF THE 

. VICTORY AT HATTERAS OPERATIONS OF ROSECRANZ IN WESTERN 

VIRGINIA — BATTLE AT CARNIFEX FERRY DEFEAT AND FLIGHT OF 

FLOYD RESULTS OP THE VICTORY EVENTS IN MISSOURI — COLONEL 

mulligan's FORCES AT LEXINGTON HE IS ATTACKED BY GENERAL 

PRICE — INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON SURRENDER OP 

COLONEL MULLIGAN — SKETCH OF HIS CAREER BATTLE AT BOLIVAR 

SKETCH OF ITS HERO, COLONEL GEARY — THE BATTLE OF BALLS BLUFF 

GENERAL STONE — APPREHENSIONS OF COLONEL BAKER INCIDENTS 

OF THE ENGAGEMENT DEFEAT AND ROUT OP THE FEDERAL TROOPS 

DEATH OF COLONEL BAKER NATIONAL SORROW AT HT^ FATE — SKETCH 

OF HIS REMARKABLE CAREER RESULTS OP THE DISASTER AT BALLS 

BLUFF. 

In the great and perilous game of war success fre- 
quently alternates from side to side, and he who exults 
over the laurels of victory to-day, to-morrow may be 
overwhelmed by the mortification and. calamities of 
defeat. The war against the Southern Rebellion was no 
exception to this rule: the disaster of Bull Run was 
quickly followed by the triumph of the Federal arms at 
Hatteras. 

The Federal Government had contemplated for some 
time an armed descent upon the coast of North Carolina, 
and had been quietly making preparations for such a 
movement. A combined land and naval force was placed 
under the orders of Commodore Stringham and General 



218 A HISTORY OF 

Butler. The former commanded the Atlantic blockading 

o 

.•squadron, the latter a portion of the troops at Fortress 
Monroe. The fleet Avhich transported the expedition 
comprised the flag-ship Minnesota, the Adelaide, the 
George Peabody, the Pawnee, the Susquehanna, the 
Wabash, the Cumberland, the Harriet Lane, and the 
Fanny, — vessels of different sizes and armaments. About 
a thousand land troops were placed under the orders of 
General Butler ; a smaller naval force served under the 
Commodore. 

The special object of the expedition was the capture 
of the forts which had been erected on Cape Hatteras. 
This position was one of great importance to the enemy. 
It was the chief defense of the coast of North Carolina. 
The principal fort was of considerable strength, contain- 
ing ten heavy guns in position, with five unmounted. 
The works were nearly surrounded by water, the only 
approach on the land side being through a marsh five 
hundred ya]:;^s wide. One of the forts contained a 
bomb-proof capable of protecting four hundred men. 
Its form was octagonal, and it covered nearly an acre 
of ground. Both forts were abundantly provided with 
ammunition and provisions, and were occupied by a 
large body of troops. The place was the key of the Albe- 
marle, and was second in importance only to Fortress 
Monroe, on the Atlantic coast, as a depot for furnishing 
supplies to a blockading squadron, as a harbor for the 
coasting trade, and as a retreat either from stress of 
weather, or from the pursuit of pirates. It was an ad-' 
vantageous position, from which expeditions could start 
forth along the shore of Carolina to Bogue Inlet, to 
Newbern, and to Beaufort. 

The fleet sailed from Fortress Monroe on Monday, 
August 26th, and arrived off Hatteras Inlet on Tuesday 



THE SOUTHERIf REBELLION. 219 

afternoon. Preparations were immediately made to dis- 
embark the troops, and early the next morning the 
process began. But a stiff gale blew from the south- 
west, and a heavy surf was breaking and rolling upon the 
beach. This rendered the task a difficult and dangerous 
one ; so that when three hundred and fifteen men had 
been landed, the iron boats were swamped and the flat 
boats were stove. This disaster put an end to the 
landing. An effort was subsequently made by Lieu- 
tenant Crosby to reach the shore in a boat from the 
war steamer Pawnee. But the boat was beached in the 
attempt, so that she could not be got off. The wind 
then rose higher, and the sea became still rougher, so 
that all further attempts to convey the troops on shore 
were abandoned. 

During this interval the ships of war had hauled in, 
and commenced to cannonade the forts. Only one of 
these responded to our guns. Immediately afterward a 
white flag was run up on the forts, which the Federal 
commanders interpreted as a signal of surrender. Gene- 
ral Butler then ordered the Harriet Lane to attempt to 
cross the bar and enter the smooth water, accompanied 
by the Monticello; and the Susquehanna towed the 
Cumberland to an offing, for the purpose of completing 
the capitulation. But the enemy either practiced an act 
of perfidy, or had changed their purpose, for on the 
approach of these vessels they renewed their fire, and 
several shots struck the Monticello. The fleet immedi- 
ately recommenced the bombardment and continued it 
with spirit. The troops on shore then advanced to 
attack the forts. They found the smaller one deserted, 
and they took possession of it. Night fell, and the 
attack was necessarily suspended. Part of the Federal 



220 A HISTOEY OF 

troops on store occupied the forts; the remainder 
bivouacked on the beach near the place of landing. 

At eight o'clock on the eosuing morning the fleet 
resumed the attack. The Harriet Lane ran in to the 
shore for the purpose of protecting the troops on land. 
In this movement a large steamer was observed moving 
down the sound. It was the Winslow, and contained 
reinforcements for the enemy. But they were prevented 
from accomplishing their purpose by the vigilance of 
Captain Johnson, who opened a fire upon the Eebel 
steamer with several guns from a sand battery on the 
shoi^e. The vessel then returned up the channel, leaving 
the forts to their fate. The cannonading from the ships 
now became heavy, and did great execution. An 
attempt was made to land an additional number of 
troops. Before this purpose could be accomplished, a 
white flag was again run up from the remaining fort. A 
signal was made to the ships to cease firing. General 
Butler sent an ofl&cer on shore to ascertain the meaning 
of the flag. That ofl&cer proceeded to the fort, and was 
received by Commodore Barron, the commander of the 
Eebel forces. He authorized Lieutenant Crosby to com- 
municate to the Federal ofl&cers the fact that he had six 
hundred and fifteen men in the fort, but was anxious to 
spare the effusion of blood ; and would consequently 
surrender the fort, arms and munitions of war, provided 
the ofiicers were permitted to retire with their side arms, 
and the men without arms. To this proposition Greneral 
Butler replied that it was wholly inadmissible ; . and that 
the only terms which could be accepted were an un 
conditional surrender of officers and men, who were to 
be treated as prisoners of war. 

On receiving these conditions, Commodore Barron 
summoned a council of war, and submitted the matter to 



THE SOUTHERN" BEBELLION. 221 

their consideration. Each of these heroes advised an 
immediate surrender. It was at this moment that 
several vessels of the Federal fleet had gotten into a 
perilous position, of which the Rebels might with ordi- 
nary energy and vigilance have taken decisive advantage. 
The Adelaide, in carrying the troops to the shore, ran 
aground. The Harriet Lane, in attempting to enter the 
bar, met the same fate. Both vessels were within full 
range of the guns of the fort, and both might have been 
s.eriously disabled and damaged. But they failed to 
take advantage of the opportunity. General Butler now 
informed the Rebel commodore that if the terms were 
accepted, the articles of capitulation must be signed on 
board the flag ship Minnesota. At length, after the 
deliberation of an hour, the terms were accepted by the 
enemy, and Commodore Barron, Major Andrews and 
Colonel Martin, proceeded to that .vessel and formally 
surrendered the forts to the United States ; the parties 
stipulating that the officers and men should receive the 
treatment due to prisoners of war. The instrument was 
duly signed and sealed, by Messrs. Stringhan and Butler 
for the United States, and by Messrs. Barron, Martin 
and AndreATO, for the Confederate States. Immediately 
afterward General Butler landed, took formal possession 
of the forts and munitions of war, inspected the troops 
and their arms, marched them out, embarked them on 
-board the Adelaide, manned the fort with his own troops, 
hoisted the stars and stripes, and saluted them with the 
very guns which had been shotted by the captive enemy. 
On the following day the Rebel troops were transferred 
to the Minnesota, which sailed for New York. A large 
number of Rebels had been killed and wounded during 

o 

the bombardment, though the exact amount of their loss 
was carefully concealed. They reported fifteen killed 



222 A HISTORY OF 

and thirty-five wounded. During the attack all the war 
vessels of the fleet took part, and the cannonading was 
at certain periods very heavy. The capture of these 
forts was an event of decisive importance. They had 
become a pernicious and piratical nest, which seriously 
injured the commerce of the United States, and their 
possession was an achievement greatly to be desired. It 
astonished and terrified the Rebel States excessively, and 
was with justice regarded by them as a heavy calamity. 
The chief praise of this success is justly due to Com- 
modore Striagham, the commander of the fleet. This 
officer occupies a distinguished place in the American 
navy. He is a native of Orange county, New York, and 
entered the service as a midshipman in 1809. Twenty- 
two years of his life have been passed at sea. He rose 
gradually from rank to rank, and successively com- 
manded the Falmouth of the East India squadron, the 
John Adams of the Mediterranean squadron, the Inde- 
pendence of the Home squadron, the Ohio of the Brazil 
squadron, and other vessels. He has also been the com- 
mandant of the Brooklyn, the Norfolk and the Charles- 
town Navy Yards, When the administration of Mr. 
Lincoln determined on the blockade of the southern 
ports, he was summoned to "Washington, and ordered to 
take command of the blockading squadron whose opera- 
tions lay between Cape Charles, at the mouth of the 
Chesapeake Bay on the north, as far as Key West on 
the south. A large fleet containing twenty-five vessels, 
manned by three thousand five hundred sailors and 
marines, was placed under his command. His first expe- 
dition proved eminently successful. The part performed 
in it by General Butler, the commander of the land 
forces, though commendable, was of secondary import- 
ance to that achieved by the gallant commodore. The 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 223 

official reports of the expedition, however, were chiefly 
drawn up by General Butler. 

After the removal of General McClellan to Washing- 
ton, the command of the Federal troops in "Western 
Virginia was conferred on Brigadier General William S. 
Eosecrans, who had already distinguished himself in the 
events which had transpired in that portion of the Union. 
This officer, a native of Ohio, was born about 1821, and 
entered the Academy of West Point in 1888. He 
graduated in 184:2, and received an appointment as 
Second Lieutenant of Engineers. For a year afterward 
he officiated as Assistant Professor of Ens^ineerinsr at 
West Point, subsequently of Natural and Experimental 
Philosophy, and again of engineering, till 1847. In 

1853 he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. In 

1854 he resigned his functions in that institution, entered 
civil life, and commenced manufacturing operations in 
Ohio. Immediately after the opening of the war he 
tendered his services to the Federal Government. They 
were accepted, and he was assigned a position under 
General McClellan in Western Virginia. His ability in 
this new position justified the confidence which had been 
reposed in him. 

Immediately after receiving the supreme command of 
the Federal forces in Virginia, Rosecrans ^commenced to 
augment and strengthen them. A large Rebel army 
under Floyd was now approaching him, and at length, 
on Tuesday, September 10th, an engagement took place 
between them at Carnifex Ferry, on the Gauley river. 
The battle was the most important and severe which had 
yet been fought in Western Virginia. The Rebels were 
well entrenched. They had six regiments of troops and a 
large number of artillery. The Federal forces reached 
the fortified position of the enemy after a march of 



224 A HISTORY OF 

eighteen miles. Their pickets were driven in and an 
attack immediately commenced. The battle began at 
half-past three o'clock, and continued four hours. The 
entrenchments of Floyd were erected on the west side of 
the Gauley river, and were so surrounded by dense 
forests as to be almost hidden from view. 

The tenth Ohio regiment were ordered by General 
Eosecrans to commence the attack, they being in the 
advance. The thirteenth Ohio followed, together with 
the twelfth. The Eebels received the assault with spirit, 
and a hot fire was poured upon the Federal troops from 
cannon and all sorts of small arras. McMullen's howit- 
zer battery and Snyder's two field pieces responded with 
much effect. Their sharpshooters succeeded in picking 
off some of the Federal officers. Colonel Lowe was 
killed. Colonel Lyttle was wounded. But the fire of 
the Eebels grew feebler as night approached. Eosecrans 
then drew off' his men, and they lay upon their arms in 
front of the enemy's works during the night, ready to 
resume the attack with the ensuing dawn. But Floyd 
fled during the darkness. He eflected his escape by the 
ford and a bridge over the Gauley, in his rear. It is 
evident that his retreat was precipitate, for he left behind 
him his camp equipage, much of his ammunition and 
stores, several colors, and a large number of cattle. 
Eosecrans then took possession of the vacated entrench- 
ments ; but he thought it prudent not to pursue the 
retreating enemy, who was probably hastening to unite 
his forces with those of Henry A. Wise. The Federal 
loss was twenty killed and one hundred wounded. By 
this decisive action, which the flight of the foe prevented 
from being still more disastrous to his arm^, that part 
of Western Virginia was released from the presence and 
supremacy of the Eebel troops. The extremely rugged 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 225 

nature of the country through which Floyd retreated, 
composed of deep ravines and rugged mountains, rendered 
the pursuit of him not only difficult, but scarcely remunera- 
tive to the victors. The latter were all Ohio troops, and 
they exhibited unusual coolness and fortitude during the 
engagement, and when surrounded by a deluge of shot 
and shell. 

The great battle of Springfield was indecisive in its 
results, and'Missouri still remained the abode of a divided 
and hostile population, and the destined theatre of 
future warlike and bloody events. In the early portion 
of September a powerful Eebel force was collected by 
General Sterling Price, and with these he commenced a 
march toward Lexington. That city had been occupied 
and fortified by Colonel Mulligan, with a number of 
Federal troops ; although, as seemed to be generally the 
case with the Federal commanders in the southwest, they 
were inferior in numbers to the armaments brought 
against them. 

Colonel Mulligan had fortified Lexington by heavy 
earthworks ten feet in height, and by a ditch twelve feet 
in width. The number of troops under his command was 
about three thousand ; that of General Price was about 
fifteen thousand. On Thursday, September 12th, Gene- 
ral Price reached the scene of conflict, and immediately 
commenced operations by driving in the Federal pickets. 
Mulligan ordered out four companies to confront the 
advanced guard of the enemy. These were about five 
thousand in number. The Federal troops attacked 
them with spirit, killing a large number, but were com- 
pelled to retire within the entrenchments. Price followed 
with six guns, and commenced to fire upon the college 
building in which the ammunition and provisions of 
Mulligan were stored. This attack commenced at three 
15 



226 A HISTORY OF 

o'clock in the afternoon, and continued till nightfall. 
Mulligan responded with his five guns with effect. He 
silenced one of the cannon of the Eebels, knocking it to 
pieces, and killed about seventy-five men. But when 
his firing ceased all his ammunition had been ex- 
pended. The engagement on the 12th was adverse to 
the enemy ; they had lost a greater number in killed and 
wounded than their opponents, and had accomplished 
nothing. They did not renew the attack on the ensuing 
day. 

It was not until the morning of the 17th that the 
Rebels were prepared to recommence the conflict. 
During this interval they had received reinforcements, 
and were now able to surround the city completely, and 
cut off all access to the river. At eight o'clock a signal 
gun from General Price's head-quarters announced the 
opening of the battle. His numerous artillery poured 
upon the Federal troops and entrenchments a tremen- 
dous shower of shot and shell, to which Mulligan replied 
with his guns, as well as his limited means permitted. Tho 
battle lasted from the 17th to the 20th. During the first 
two days the Rebels accomplished nothing, and advanced 
no nearer the entrenchments than they had been at first. 
On the 19th they commenced to erect breastworks of 
hemp bales, from behind which they continued to fire, 
and which, from time to time, they rolled nearer to the 
position of the Federals. About three o'clock on that 
day the enemy made a charge, and flouted their colors 
upon the summit of the Federal breastworks. Mulligan 
ordered the Irish brigade, who were posted on the oppo- 
site side of the works, to leave their position and retake 
the entrenchments of which the enemy had gained pos- 
session. This order was obeyed with the utmost alacrity; 
and, as seems to be the invariable fact during this war 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 227 

in every case in which the Irish have been brought into 
action, they charged with such impetuosity and heroism 
as to completely overpower the enemy. They regained 
possession of the entrenchments, killed and wounded 
about three hundred, and captured their colors. Colonel 
Mulligan, who led the charge in person, was wounded, 
and his clothes were perforated by six balls. This 
decisive repulse put an end to the operations of that 
day. 

On the 20th the enemy recommenced the battle. 
During this day they made several desperate charges 
upon the works, and were as frequently repulsed with 
great slaughter. Still, the losses on the Federal side 
were heavy; and although Colonel Mulligan and his 
men fought with the utmost heroism, there were causes 
which rendered their ultimate defeat inevitable. During 
this day they exploded six mines successively, under the 
advancing Eebel forces, destroying them by hundreds. 
At length, at four o'clock, it became impossible to con- 
tinue the contest any longer. Colonel Mulligan and his 
men had been destitute of water for several days ; all 
their ammunition was expended ; and one half of their 
.cannon had been silent for some time, for want of balls. 
During the progress of the entire attack the Federal 
troops had been casting their own round shot at a 
foundry within the city, and even that resource had at 
last been exhausted. Retreat by the river had been cut 
off by the Rebels who swarmed upon the shores, and 
took possession of all the boats. The surrender was 
therefore unavoidable, though a decisive moral yictory had 
been achieved by the dauntless heroism displayed by the 
Federal troops. It was computed that, before the end of 
the contest, the number of men who had collected under 
the Rebel banners at Lexington amounted to twenty-five 



228 A HISTOET OF 

tliousand. They had sixteen cannon, and were pro- 
vided with ammunition in abundance. Their loss 
was heavy, not less than a thousand in killed and 
wounded. The loss of the Federals was about one 
hundred killed and three hundred wounded. So deeply 
was the Eebel commander impressed with the bravery 
of Colonel Mulligan and his troops, that, at the surrender, 
he refused to accept the colonel's sword ; declaring with 
a magnanimity worthy of a better cause, that he was too 
brave an officer to be deprived of his arms, and well 
deserved to keep them. Colonel Mulligan and his troops 
became prisoners of war. 

Colonel James A. Mulligan, whose heroism thus 
stamped his name indelibly upon the annals of this 
contest, was born in Utica, New York, in 1829. His 
parents were natives of Ireland. He was educated at the 
Catholic College of Chicago. In that city he studied law 
and was admitted to the bar. In 1857 he accepted a 
clerkship in the Department of the Interior at Washing- 
ton. After spending a year in the Federal Capital, he 
returned to Chicago, and was elected captain of the 
Shields' Guards. When the war broke out he entered 
zealously into the contest, and proceeded to Washington, 
with a letter, penned by Senator Douglas on his death- 
bed, commending him to the confidence of the Adminis- 
tration. He had been elected colonel of the Irish 
regiment, whose services the Government at once ac- 
cepted. The rest of his public history is summed up in 
the heroic struggle of which Lexington was the memora- 
ble scene. 

It is a remarkable circumstance, which must have 
attracted the attention of every intelligent observer of 
the war against Secession, that the arena of the conflict 
was one of unusually vast and extensive circuit. It 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 229 

spread over thousands of miles ; and at one and the same 
moment events of vital importance occurred at the most 
remote and distant points. In this respect few parallels 
are presented to it in the annals of modern warfare. 

From the shores of the Missouri river we return to the 
shores of the Potomac ; from the entrenchments of 
Lexington to the rugged heights near Harper's Ferry ; 
from the achievements of Mulligan to those of r Geary. 
On the 16th of October a battle occurred at Bolivar, 
between several Eebel regiments from Mississippi and 
Alabama, and several regiments of Federal troops, com- 
manded by Colonel Geary. Three thousand Eebels took 
a position on Bolivar Heights, and challenged their 
opponents to an engagement. The challenge was ac- 
cepted ; they were soon driven from their position ; and 
one of their heavy guns was captured. Their loss in 
killed and wounded was considerable. During this 
action Colonel Geary and his men exhibited much cool- 
ness and gallantry. This officer had already attained a 
name of some distinction in the annals of his country ; and 
his daring spirit and superior abilities seemed destined 
to conduct him to still greater eminence. He figured 
with credit in the Mexican war, and was promoted for 
his meritorious conduct at Cerro Gordo and the city of 
Mexico. In 1848 he took up his residence in San 
Francisco, and was chosen the first Mayor of that city. 
In July, 1856, he was appointed Governor of Kansas by 
Mr. Buchanan; and he continued to act as the chief 
magistrate of the Territory until March, 1857. He then 
retired to private life until the commencement of the 
war, when his services were tendered to the Government 
and accepted. After his removal with his regiment to 
"Point of Eocks," he exhibited superior vigilance, activity 
and ability, in the performance of his military duties. 



"I 

230 A HISTORY OF 

At a later period his merits were justly rewarded, by 
his promotion to the rank of brigadier general. 

On the 21st of October a portion of the Federal army 
of the Potomac, which had already spent a considerable 
period of time in apparent inactivity, was put into 
motion ; but with so little skill as to lead to the most 
disastrous results. The division uader General Stone 
had been posted between Washington and Harper's 
Ferry. That officer commanded Colonel Baker of the 
California regiment, to cross the river opposite Leesburg, 
and obtain possession of the Virginia shore, so that the 
remainder of his division and that of General Banks, 
might afterward pass over unmolested by the enemy. 
This order was to be executed by a body of eighteen 
hundred men, consisting of portions of the California 
regiment, of the Massachusetts fifteenth, and of the New 
York Tamany regiment. 

"When Colonel Baker received the order to make this 
movement, he expressed his surprise at it, and intimated 
that, under the circumstances, it was equivalent to his 
own death warrant and a disaster to the Federal arms. 
Nevertheless he prepared instantly to obey it. Never 
was an important military operation attempted under 
more unpropitious circumstances. General Stone had 
provided no proper means for transporting the troops; 
and what was more portentous still, he had neglected to 
furnish any facilities for escape across the river, should 
his forces be compelled to retreat. Three miserable 
scows were procured to convey the Federal troops to the 
Virginia side. Scarcely had they reached the opposite 
shore, about nine o'clock in the morning of the 21st, 
when they were attacked by the Eebels with an over- 
whelming superiority of numbers. Notwithstanding this 
disadvantage the Federal troops fought with the utmost 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 231 

desperation ; and stood their ground with heroic firm- 
ness, during a large portion of the day. But in the 
afternoon the Eebels received heavy reinforcements, 
which gave them a superiority which was resistless. In 
vain did the bravest of men sternly confront their foes. 
In vain were prodigies of valor lavishly wasted. The 
overwhelming masses of the Eebels, led on by General 
Evans of South Carolina, surrounded them on all sides. 
Renewed assaults exhausted their failing energies. No 
reinforcements came, as they should have come, to the 
Union troops. General Stone seemed strangely to have 
forgotten the men whom he had ordered into the jaws 
of destruction. The result was that, toward the close of 
the day, the Rebels were victorious, in spite of the 
utmost fortitude on the part of the forces under Colonel 
Baker. The Rebels drove the latter to the brink of the 
steep bluft' whicb bordered the river ; and afterward, they 
poured their deadly fire upon the unwilling fugitives 
below, while they sought to flee over the stream, and 
beyond the reach of the guns of their assailants. The 
most necessary means of transport for the troops not 
having been provided, many perished beneath the waves. 
Many were slain by the sharpshooters of the Rebels, as they 
stood defenceless upon the shore. But before the flight 
began. Colonel Baker had fallen while cheering on his 
men to a most desperate charge. Never did a patriot 
and hero perish in a more noble cause, or under more 
glorious circumstances. While urging on his men to the 
unequal combat, he was pierced with five bullets. It 
was with difficulty that his body was rescued from 
the desecrating touch of the triumpliant foe. Lieutenant 
Colonel Wistar, an able and valuable officer, was severely 
wounded during the engagement, in which he had dis- 
tinguished himself by his coolness and his valor. The 



232 A HISTORY OF 

broken remains of the Federal troops — the victims either 
of official stupidity or of official perfidy — reached the 
opposite banks of the Potomac in the most pitiable 
plight. They were destitute of every thing necessary to 
their comfort. With great difficulty the wreck of this 
brave corps made their way back to their former en- 
campment. The loss of Colonel Baker, who died the 
most heroic death which could be suffered by an officer 
of the army of the Union, was one of the chief incidents 
connected with this unfortunate expedition. 

The report of the death of Edward Dickinson Baker 
overwhelmed the community with profound sorrow; for 
he had gained their admiration and esteem in an eminent 
degree. He fully merited the popular interest which he 
had excited. He was in truth a remarkable man ; his 
life and genius were marvelous and romantic. He had 
been left an orphan in his youth ; and he became the 
sole architect of his high fame and fortune. He crossed 
the snowy Alleghenies on foot, at the commencement 
of his public career, and sought in the then remotest 
West, the most inviting arena for his exertions. He 
there devoted himself to the profession of the law, and 
at the bar of Springfield, Illinois, his eloquence made 
him the formidable and justly feared antagonist of 
Douglas and Lincoln. He was sent to Congress from 
that State in 1845, and he soon distinguished himself in 
the national councils. In the Mexican war, his demeanor 
was that of a brave and skillful soldier. At San Fran- 
cisco, whither his adventurous disposition afterward 
allured him, he took exalted rank as an orator and a 
statesman. Over the bleeding remains of his chivalrous 
friend Broderick, who was killed in a duel, he delivered 
one of the most magnificent and touching orations which 
ever fell from human lips. That oration was charac- 



THE SOUTHEKN EEBELLION. 233 

terized by sucli overwhelming pathos, by such brilliant 
and gorgeous images, by such appropriate and impres- 
sive reflections, that it produced a profound and indeli- 
ble, impression upon a whole generation of readers. It 
created for him a national reputation. It was a master- 
piece, which alone would have rendered his name im- 
mortal. After taking his seat in the Federal Congress 
as Senator from Oregon, he delivered a powerful address 
in answer to a specious argument of Mr. Breckinridge, 
superior to any other which the events of the Eebellion 
had yet elicited. As an officer he was equally admira- 
ble — prudent, dauntless, patriotic. He passed away pre- 
maturely from the stage of action ; but his memory will 
live with fadeless beauty and lustre in the hearts of 
myriads of his admiring countrymen. 

In the battle of Balls Bluff the loss of the Federal 
troops was very heavy. It is probable that the killed, 
wounded, and prisoners amounted to nearly a thousand 
men. The circumstances under which this disaster oc- 
curred, added greatly to the intensity of that emotion of 
mingled indignation and regret, with which the nation 
beheld the slaughter or the captivity of so large a 
number of their bravest and best troops. 



234: A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER XIV. 

PECULIARITIES ON THE WAR AGAINST SECESSION FEDERAL EXPEDITION 

UNDER COMMODORE DUPONT AND OENERAL SHERMAN ITS DEPARTURE 

FROM ANNAPOLIS — ITS DESTINATION — TERRIBLE STORM NEAR CAPE 

HATTERAS — THE EXPEDITION REACHES PORT ROYAL REBEL FORTS ON 

BAY POINT AND HILTON HEAD THEIR BOMBARDMENT THEIR STRENGTH 

INCIDENTS OF THE ATTACK SURRENDER OF THE FORTS RESULTS 

OF THE ENGAGEMENT SKETCH OF ITS BERO, COMMODORE DUPONT — 

NAVAL DISASTER BELOW NEW ORLEANS — CAPTAIN JOHN POPE — EVENTS 
IN MISSOURI BOLD ACHIEVEMENT OF COLONEL ZAGONYI NEAR SPRING- 
FIELD THE BATTLE OF BELMONT — GENERAL U. S. GRANT — INCIDENTS 

OF THE ENGAGEMENT AT BELMONT ITS RESULTS — DISMISSAL OF GENE- 
RAL FREMONT FROM HIS DEPARTMENT OF THE WEST — CAUSES OF HIS 
REMOVAL HIS ADMIRABLE DEMEANOR ON THIS OCCASION HIS SUBSE- 
QUENT APPOINTMENT AS COMMANDER OF THE MOUNTAIN DEPARTMENT 
OF VIRGINIA AND TENNESSEE. 

Whoever examines with attention the operations of 
the Federal forces during the progress of the war against 
Secession, will observe that, from the nature of the case, 
it must become a conflict involving extensive military 
combinations and far-reaching strategy. The immense 
area of territory which was to be recovered, the numer- 
ous armies which were to be subdued, rendered it abso- 
'lutely necessary, that various movements should be 
effected from different points, at nearly the same time ; 
that those movements should, while steadily pursuing 
their separate paths of victory, gradually converge 
tovyraxd a central position, and that, at that position, a 
few resistless blows should demolish the concentrated 
military strength of the Rebel States. This principle 
will furnish the key to the subsequent aggressive move- 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 235 

ments of tlie Federal troops wliicli occurred, and which 
were made as soon as the necessary preliminary prepara- 
tions could be effected. 

The Rebel States were still convulsed with that fi-antic 
and exaggerated exultation which usually elated them at 
the attainment of the least success, in consequence of 
their victory at Balls Bluff, when sudden terror and 
apprehension overtook them. The cause of this revul- 
sion of feeling was the departure of a powerful Federal 
fleet from Annapolis, for some unknown destination in 
the South. This armament consisted of nearly fifty 
vessels, including those used for transport, and was 
placed under the orders of Commodore Samuel F. 
Dupont. The expedition had been in preparation for 
several months, and was fitted out under the combined 
auspices of the Army and Navy Departments at Wash- 
ington. General Thomas W. Sherman commanded, the 
land forces which were embarked in the transports. The 
fleet sailed from Annapolis on the 21st of October, 1861, 
and proceeded to Hampton Roads near Fortress Monroe. 
The last necessary preparations there having been com- 
pleted, the vast squadron left its anchorage at early dawn 
on the 29th of October. A signal gun was fired from 
the commodore's flag ship, the Wabash, which led the 
way ; immediately afterward the fleet formed in line and 
proceeded seaward through the capes. The stately and 
numerous array as it sailed toward the broad bosom of 
the ocean, presented one of the most magnificent specta- 
cles which the imagination can conceive. 

This land and naval force was destined to invade the 
territory of South Carolina; and by a just but singular 
act of retribution, the very spot on which many of the 
designs of the conspirators had been originally conceived, 
or at a later day matui'cd, was destined to became deso- 



2S6 A HISTORY OF 

lated bj the presence and the terror of the Federal 
troops ; for Beaufort, in the vicinity of Port Royal, had 
been the sumptuous summer retreat of some of those 
men, whose names will forever remain prominently 
connected with the annals of the Eebellion. 

AVhen the advancing fleet reached a position in the 
vicinity of Cape Hatteras, it was assailed by one of the 
most furious tempests which ever swept the surface of 
the deep. Excellent seamanship alone preserved it from 
destruction. In spite, however, of the utmost efforts of 
fortitude and skill, two transports were lost during the 
storm. At length, on the morning of the 7th of Novem- 
ber, the fleet, with the flag ship in the advance, reached 
the mouth of Port Royal Entrance. At that spot two 
Rebel fortifications frowned over the waves, and menaced 
the commerce of the loyal States. They were named 
Forts Walker and Beauregard, after the prominent Rebel 
chiefs. It was with some difficulty that the larger vessels 
of the Federal fleet could be brought over the bar, two 
miles in width ; but the skill of Commodore Dupont, and 
the determination of his troops, ultimately effected that 
result. Their merit in regard to this achievement was 
the greater, in consequence of the fiict, that all the usual 
aids to navigation had been removed from that vicinity 
by the vigilance and industry of the Rebels. 

At halfpast nine, on the morning of the 7th of 
November, the Federal ships cleared for action, were 
brought within range, and the bombardment of the two 
forts commenced. These were located on Bay Point and 
Hilton Head. They were strongly garrisoned, containing 
eighteen hundred men ; and were protected by a fleet of 
seven gunboats under the command of Captain Tatnal. 
As the Union ships approached the forts, the vessels of 
that officer, which might be fitly termed a diminutive 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 237 

fleet, began to fire. But tliey were soon cliased, by a few 
Avell-directed shots, beyond the reach of the Federal 
guns, and were dispersed among the obscure streams 
leading toward Savannah. The bombardment of the 
forts was then continued with vigor. It had been agreed 
between the two Federal commanders, that the naval 
troops should alone be employed during the bombard- 
ment. The land forces therefore remained, though 
"unwillingly, idle spectators of the scene. The ships 
of war took positions six hundred yards distant from the 
forts, and frequently engaged the batteries on both sides 
at the same time. 

The Eebel forts had been constructed with skill, and 
were provided with heavy guns and abundant supplies. 
Their cannon responded at first to those of the Federal 
fleet with rapidity, but rarely with precision. They 
therefore produced little damage to their assailants. It 
soon became evident that their defense was useless, and 
the conquest of the works inevitable. The overwhelm- 
ing hailstorm of shot and shell which was poured upon 
the forts without intermission, and with superior ac- 
curacy of aim, was rapidly rendering them untenable. 
The large and increasing number of their killed and 
wounded, was convincing the Eebels that their doom 
was sealed. Their own guns in the forts were at length 
so badly served, that they frequently did more damage 
to their gunners than to their assailants. After a 
contest of four hours, the Rebels abandoned their works, 
and commenced a precipitate retreat. They carried their 
wounded and some of their dead with them. At a 
quarter before three o'clock, they struck their flag on 
Fort Walker, and before evacuating it ran up a white 
one. The Federal fleet, at a signal from Commodore 
Dupont, then ceased firing, and Captain Rodgers was 



238 A HISTORY OF 

sent ashore to ascertain the state of aifairs. He found 
the fort deserted, and precisely at three o'clock, he un- 
furled the stars and stripes from the summit of the flag- 
staff. The glorious ensign was then greeted by long 
and enthusiastic cheers from the thousands of patriotic 
sailors and soldiers who manned the fleet, which echoed 
far and wide over the land and the sea. At nearly the 
same time Fort Beauregard was evacuated by the Rebels, 
and with the same precipitation which characterized their 
flight from Fort Walker. 

It should be noted that, during this attack, the Federal 
fleet did not remain stationary. As the Rebel forts were 
situated two miles and a half apart, on opposite sides of 
the strait, the ships continually made a detour in a line, 
by which means they came within range of the forts 
successively. They thus formed a formidable procession, 
resembling a convoy of destroying angels, who, with 
inexorable vengeance, approached the Rebel works from 
time to time, to inflict deserved destruction upon them. 
Each ship of war, as it passed, remained within range 
about twenty minutes ; and each of them delivered, 
during that interval, a very large number of shells. The 
spectacle thus presented was one of the most novel and 
imposing which could be imagined ; while the music of 
the deadly missiles as they coursed through the heavens, 
and the far resounding reverberation of the guns, which 
was heard both at Savannah and at Charleston, added to 
the intense interest of the scene. 

After the evacuation of the forts the process of landing 
the Federal troops immediately began. Though only a 
portion of them were then required on shore, the transfer 
of all of them was completed before nightfall. Fort 
"Walker, at Hilton Head, was found to be a work of great 
strength and of colossal proportions. It covered an area 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 239 

of four acres, was angular in form, was surrounded by a 
deep ditch, and mounted twenty-four guns. Three of 
these had been disabled during the contest. Twenty-six 
dead bodies were counted in and near the fort, and it is 
probable that the killed and wounded of the Rebels 
numbered several hundreds. At a later period dis- 
coveries were made which justified the belief, that their 
loss had been very heavy. The Federal loss was eight 
killed and twenty wounded. It should not be inferred, 
however, from this circumstance, that the guns of the 
Rebels had been inefficient. They occasionally reached 
the objects of their aim. Thus the Wabash was struck 
thirty times. Nearly every vessel which had been 
engaged, bore some token of the assiduous attentions 
of the Rebel marksmen. The spoils of the conquest were 
considerable. A large amount of ammunition was taken, 
with various stores of necessaries and even of luxuries. 
It became evident from an inspection of the forts, that 
the enemy had abandoned them with the utmost trepida- 
tion. Innumerable articles of value were strewn around 
in confusion, and the soldiers were enriched by no in- 
significant plunder. Swords, pistols, guns, some of 
which were richly mounted, watches, jewelry, and even 
money, were found. The entire number of cannon 
captured was forty-three. Many of these were of very 
heavy calibre. Both forts were soon filled with Federal 
troops, and thus a permanent position was effectually 
secured on the soil of South Carolina. 

This great victory filled the inhabitants of that 
chivalrous State with terror. This feeling soon degen- 
erated into a panic among the inhabitants of the imme- 
diate vicinity, and especially among those of Charleston 
and Savannah. Of dwellers in the nearer BcaufoTt, there 
were no longer any left, except the jubilant negro popula- 



240 A HISTORY OF 

tion. All others bad fled in tlie utmost dismay, and had 
sought refuge in more distant retreats. General Sherman, 
after taking possession of the forts, issued a proclamation, 
in which he endeavored to allay the fears of the people, 
to explain the real purpose of the expedition, and to 
reclaim the fugitive rebels back to loyalty to the Federal 
Government. 

Commodore Dupont, to whom the chief glory of this 
important conquest belonged, was born in New Jersey, 
and entered the naval service in 1815, During the forty- 
five years which he spent in that service, he occupied 
with honor a number of important positions. In 1836 
he commanded the Warren, and cruised in the West 
Indies. In 1813 he commanded the brig Perry, on the 
same station, and subsequently the Congress and the 
Cyane. In 1859 he was appointed commandant of the 
Philadelphia navy yard. He had then spent twenty-two 
years at sea, and nine years in active duty on shore. 
The high reputation which he had won by energy and 
ability in various posts of danger and responsibility, 
amply justified the choice which placed him at the head 
of this expedition. The successful issue of that expedition 
filled up the measure of his fame. General Sherman, his 
associate in command, was born in Ehode Island, and 
graduated at West Point in 1836. He served with 
distinction in the Florida war, and afterward proceeded 
with General Taylor to Mexico. He was breveted 
major for his brave and meritorious conduct at the battle 
of Buena Vista, in February, 1847. After the commence- 
ment of the Eebellion, he was appointed lieutenant 
colonel of the fifth artillery ; and at the battle of Manassas 
had command of the battery which was designated by 
bis name. The defeat which overtook him on that 
occasion, in common with many other brave and skillful 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 241 

officers, did not dim the lustre of his reputation. He 
was subsequently elevated to the rank of brigadier 
general, and placed in Oommand of the land forces 
destined for the conquest of Port Eoj^al. 

"While these important events were transpiring along 
the eastern sea-board, other incidents of inferior moment 
were occurring in the southwest. On the 12th of 
October, 1861, the Eebel forces below New Orleans gave 
evidence of their activity by the use of a naval instru- 
ment of warfai'e, or rather by the revival of a means of 
destruction which had been prevalent among combatants 
during ages which have long passed away. At half past 
three o'clock, on the morning of the day just named, 
while the watch on board the Federal steamer Richmond 
were engaged in taking in coal from a schooner lying 
alongside, and while partial darkness still prevailed, tliey 
were astonished by the sudden approach of a steam 
battering ram toward the vessels. An alarm was 
instantly given, but before any means of protection could 
be employed, she struck the Eichmond with tremendous 
violence, and stove a hole through her side. Three 
planks were torn away, two feet below the water lino, 
making an aperture of considerable dimensions. The 
ram then passed to the rear of the disabled vessel ; but 
as she did so, the port guns of the Eichmond were 
discharged at her. At this moment three large fire rafts 
of the enemy were seen approaching the Federal ships, 
accompanied by several Eebel steamers. The Federal 
c<jmmander. Captain John Pope, immediately signalled 
to the Vinccnnes, the Preble, and the Water Witch to 
slip their cables, proceed down the southwest channel of 
of the Mississippi, and pass over the bar. During the 
passage, and while the enemy were in chase of them, the 
Eichmond and the Vincennes grounded, and thereby 
16 



242 A HISTORY OF 

furnislied the Eebels a favorable opportunity foi' the 
use of their guns. The Federal ships, however, responded 
vigorously to their fire. After considerable effort, the 
grounded vessels were lightened, and conducted over the 
bar, after which the chase and the action ceased. The 
commanders of the several Federal vessels did not gain 
many laurels by their dispLiy of skill and heroism on 
this occasion. 

A more brilliant incident soon after occurred near 
Springfield, Missouri. On the 25th of October, three 
hundred men, who formed the body guard of General 
Fremont, under the command of a Hungarian refugee 
named Zagonyi, attacked a Eebel camp near that place, 
containing two thousand men. The movement was an 
extremely bold and sudden one, and its results were 
most advantageous. The Rebel troops were completely 
surprised, overpowered, defeated, and compelled to flee, 
not only in the utmost confusion, but also with con- 
siderable losses. It was a daring and praiseworthy 
achievement ; but it was unfortunately the only successful 
movement of importance which was performed, during 
the administration of that department by General Fre- 
mont, by any of the forces or officers under his com- 
mand. 

Soon after this event, on the 7th of November, three 
thousand five hundred Federal troops, under the com- 
mand of General Ulysses S. Grant, proceed against a 
Rebel force stationed at the village of Belmont, in 
Missouri, nearly opposite to Columbus. General McCler- 
nand accompanied the expedition. The troops embarked 
.at Cairo on a number of steamers, and proceeded as far 
>as Lucas's Bend, three miles above Columbus, on the 
Missouri side of the river. At that point they landed. 
The Rebel encampment was placed on elevated ground, 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 2-13 

several miles distant from the shore, and from their 
position they could clearly perceive the movements of 
the Federal forces. They therefore had ample time to 
prepare for their defense. As soon as the Union troops 
had disembarked, a large number of the Eebels, advancing 
from their camps, approached the river and commenced 
an attack upon them. A running fight ensued over the 
entire distance which intervened between the river and 
the camp. The Federal troops pressed on Yv^ith success, 
and each division seemed eager to gain the honor of 
having first reached the position of the enemy. That 
achievement was performed by the right division, led by 
Colonel Buford ; and the twenty-seventh Illinois was the 
first regiment to unfurl the stars and stripes within the 
Rebel encampment. 

That encampment contained about five thousand men, 
with an ample supply of arms and ammunition. Upon 
the arrival of the Federal troops at that point, a des- 
perate and bloody combat ensued. The whole camp 
became the wide scene of tumultuous collisions, of hand 
to hand combats, of advancing and retreating columns, 
of the capture and recapture of guns, of the conflagration 
of tents, bao-o^arre, and stores, of slaughter and of death. 
In the end, the Rebel troops were compelled to give 
way, and to flee in the utmost confusion, leaving the 
Federal forces in possession of the field, and of their 
position. 

Scarcely, however, had this important result been 
attained, when it was discovered that large and fresh 
masses of Rebels were rapidly approaching the scene of 
conflict, from the opposite side of the river, for the 
purpose of cutting off the return of the victors to their 
transports. These reinforcements came from Columbus, 
which was at that time strongly garrisoned by the enemy. 



244 A HISTORY OF 

Quickly and clearly discerning the position of affairs, 
General Grant gave the order to fall back to the boats. 
"VVliile executing this movement, the Union troops 
encountered the advancing Rebels ; and as they had been 
compelled to fight their way to the captured camp, so 
they were now compelled to fight their way back again. 
They did it valiantly. They brought away with them 
several hundred prisoners, two cannon, and a quantity 
of arms and ammunition. They reached their boats after 
some very hard fighting, and then returned to Cairo. 
The conflict had lasted from ten o'clock in the morning 
till five in the afternoon. The loss was considerable on 
both sides ; that of the Federal troops being about three 
hundred in killed and wounded, that of the- enemy was 
perhaps greater. General Grant had two horses sliot 
under him. A similar accident befell General McClernand, 
As a whole, the battle was a brilliant achievement on the 
part of the Federal troops, who executed a daring and 
difficult enterprise, with great bravery and resolution. 
The Federal forces employed on this occasion were from 
Illinois, with the exception of the seventh Iowa regiment. 
On the 2d of November, 1861, General Fremont was 
relieved from the administration of the Department of 
the "West. During some time previous to that date, loud 
complaints had been made by men eminent in the civil 
and military service of the country, in regard to the 
manner in which he had conducted the affairs of his 
department. It was boldly charged that he was incom- 
petent to fulfill the duties of his responsible position ; that 
he was destitute of military skill; that he had given 
several hundred military commissions to men utterly 
unfit for them ; that he had permitted contracts to be 
made, and had ratified and endorsed them, by which the 
Federal Government had been defrauded of immense 






THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



245 



sums of money ; that all his operations were carried on 
at an enormous and superfluous expense ; and that, not- 
withstanding that expense, little was accomplished during 
many months, except the erection of a few fortifications 
around St. Louis. For the purpose of ascertaining the 
truth of these charges Simon Cameron, then Secretary 
of "War, visited St. Louis, accompanied by Adjutant 
General Thomas. They reached that city on the 11th 
of October. They proceeded to examine into the state 
of affairs, and inspect the several camps in Missouri, 
including those at St. Louis, at Tipton and at Syracuse. 
At these places General Thomas collected the data which 
he subsequently embodied in a report, which was pub- 
lished and addressed to Mr. Cameron. In that report 
General Thomas alleged, that the evidence was conclusive, 
that Fremont might have reinforced General Lyon at 
Springfield, and might thus have averted one of 
the heaviest misfortunes of the war; that General 
Fremont had allowed himself to be surrounded by a 
number of adventurers and speculators, from various 
portions of the Union, by whom the Government had 
been defrauded of large amounts; that he had issued 
military commissions to incompetent men and to personal 
favorites, who possessed no military knowledge or ex- 
perience whatever ; that by these and .other offences, he 
had inflicted serious damage on the interests of the 
nation, and had retarded the operations of the war. 

These charges, and the proofs which accompanied 
them, eventually produced a .decisive effect on the mind 
of President Lincoln; and he felt compelled, though with 
much reluctance, to order the removal of General 
Fremont. He was succeeded in his command by General 
Iluntcr, a veteran officer who had fought with great 
gallantry" on several occasions. No reasonable and in- 



246 A HISTORY OF 

telligent person doubted the integrity and tlie excellent 
intentions of General Fremont ; and his removal was not 
intended by the President, nor was it regarded by the 
nation as a stigma upon his private character, or on his 
loyalty and patriotism. He at once acquiesced with 
dignity and grace in the orders of the Executive ; and 
urged his ofl'ended and incensed troops, who at one time 
were disposed to mutiny, not to make the least display 
of dissatisfaction, but to serve his successor in office as 
faithfully as they had served himself It may with truth 
be asserted, that no part of General Fremont's military 
administration did him so much honor, or evinced his 
personal excellence more clearly, than his spirit and 
manner in resigning it. With that superior wisdom and 
equity which generally marked the official conduct of 
President Lincoln during his administration, he readily 
detected where the real difficulty lay ; and at a subse- 
quent period evinced his appreciation of the merits of 
General Fremont, by appointing him to the command of 
the Mountain Department of Western Virginia. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



247 



CHAPTER XV. 



EUROPEAN RECOGNITION OF THE SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY EFFORTS 

MADE TO OBTAIN IT MISSION OF MESSRS. MASON AND SLIDELL THEIR 

ARREST ON BOARD THE TRENT LEGALITY OF THAT ARREST — THE 

BRITISH GOVERNMENT DEMAND THEM THEY ARE SURRENDERED 

REASONS OF THEIR SURRENDER — DIPLOMATIC NOTE OF MR. SEWARD ON 

THE SUBJECT ARGUMENT OF MR. SUMNER IN THE SENATE — THE BATTLE 

OF DRAINSVILLE — INCIDENTS OF THE ENGAGEMENT ITS RESULTS 

GENERAL MCCALL SKETCH OF HIS CAREER DISMISSAL OF MR. 

CAMERON FROM THE FEDERAL CABINET THE WAR IN KENTUCKY THE 

BATTLE OF MILL-SPRINGS INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT BAYONET 

CHARGE OF THE NINTH OHIO REGIMENT — DEFEAT OF THE REBELS — 

DEATH OF GENERAL FELIX ZOLLICOFFER — HIS CHARACTER RESULTS 

OF THE BATTLE OF MILL-SPRINtJS — SUBSEQUENT FLIGHT AND DISPERSION 
OF THE REBEL TROOPS. 



The crafty and resolute leaders of the Southern Rebel- 
lion labored, from the beginning of their treasonable 
movements, with great zeal and earnestness, to obtain 
the approval and recognition of several of the most im- 
portant European powers. To this end William L. Yancey 
and his associates had been sent abroad at an early stage 
of the rebellion. For this purpose Messrs. Mason and 
Slidell were selected in October, 1861, to follow them 
to Europe, as the envoys of the Confederate Government, 
to unite their ellbrts with those of their predecessors -in 
accomplishing that desirable result. Scarcely had these 
commissioners sailed from Havana on board the British 
packet Trent, when they were arrested, through the 
vigilance and energy of an American officer. Captain 
Wilkes, who was already well known for his ability and 
usefulness in connection with the United States service, 



248 



A HISTORY OF 



commanded the Sa7i Jacinto^ then cruising in the West 
Indies ; and liaving been informed, while stopping at 
Cicnfuegas, that these diplomatic Rebels had escaped 
from the Soutli, and that they had embarked on board 
the Trent for England, determined immediately to start 
in pursuit of them. It was while sailing in the narrow- 
est ]:)art of the Bahama channel, that he was so fortunate 
as to encounter the packet. lie immediately bore down 
upon her, fired a shot across her bows to bring her to, 
and sent two boats under the command of Lieutenant 
Fairfax, for the purpose of making the arrest. The 
Eebels were personally known to the Lieutenant; and 
he, having boarded the Trent, and having made known 
to her commander the purpose of his visit, demanded his 
prisoners. The furious and profane blustering of the 
British captain, the solemn and mock-heroic protests of 
the Rebels, the frantic screams of their wives and 
children, the blows even which were inflicted by fair and 
delicate hands on the manly physiognomy of the Lieu- 
tenant, all availed nothing ; and ^Messrs. Mason and 
Slidell, with their two secretaries, descended with many 
grimaces from the deck of the Trent into the boats, and 
Avere forthwith transferred, with their baggage, to the 
San Jacinto. 

This novel and startling incident immediately con- 
vulsed the inhabitants of the loyal and the disloyal States, 
with intense though very dissimilar emotions. The 
for.mer rejoiced that the Rebels had been foiled in their 
purpose and mission. The latter were at first over- 
whelmed with indignation and dismay. But when they 
began to contemplate the possible consequences of the 
act; to hope that England might resent the fancied 
insult to her flag; and to imagine that the Federal 
Government would thereby become involved in an ex- 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 249 

pensive and ruinous war with that nation ; exultation 
assumed the place of every other, feeling in their breasts. 
The San Jacinto proceeded with her prisoners to Boston, 
whence they were immediately transferi'ed to Fort 
Warren, in the harbor of that city. Then followed the 
universal discussion throughout the land, of the r[uestions 
of the legality of the arrest, the duty of the Federal 
Government in the premises, and the probable policy of 
England in regard to the matter. Different opinions 
were expressed by eminent and learned men on the 
subject. But the prevalent sentiment was, that the 
arrest and capture were perfectly justifiable, so far as the 
abstract and settled principles of International Law 
were concerned, and the uniform practice of England 
herself in similar cases; and that the government of that 
country could not, if it had any regard for consistency 
of conduct, take the least offence at the arrest of the 
Rebels when on board an English neutral vessel. 

Though the legality of the cajJtnre of the Rebel com- 
missioners might be clear, so far as the abstract principles 
of law were concerned, the prudence and policy of their 
surrender, in case the British government should demand 
it, was quite a different question. The people of the 
United States, therefore, waited witli intense anxiety to 
learn what course England would adopt|^in the premises. 
As was generally apprehended by those who understood 
most correctly the spirit of that government, it imme- 
diately demanded the unconditional surrender of Mason 
and Slidell, as a reparation due for the fancied insult 
which had been inflicted on the British flag. Their con- 
duct demonstrated, that the ]5ritish government eagerly 
seized the opportunity which was thus affi)rded, to 
embarrass and annoy the people of the United States, in 
the darkest and most critical moment which had occurred 



250 



A HISTORY OF 



in their career since the period of the storms and 
struggles of the Kevolution ; andextort from them while 
thus embarrassed a humiliating and superfluous conces- 
sion, which, under other circumstances, would have been 
resolutely refused. 

The Eebel commissioners were forthwith surrendered. 
Mr. Seward, the Secretary of State, in a long and elaborate 
communication, which he addressed to Lord Lyons, the 
British minister then resident at Washington, set forth 
with great ability, the reasons which induced the Federal 
Government to pursue that policy. He admitted that 
the four prisoners were contraband of war; that Captain 
Wilkes had the rio-ht to search the Trent for their 

O 

persons ; that the right of search had been exercised in 
this case in a lawful manner ; that Captain Wilkes had 
the right to seize the Rebels when thus found ; but he 
contended on the other hand, that this right of seizure 
had not been exercised in a legal manner. He held that 
Captain Wilkes ought to have also taken possession of 
the vessel which conveyed the Rebels ; that he ought to 
have brought her into a Federal port ; that he ought to 
have had her tried, condemned and confiscated by a 
Federal tribunal ; and that in no case should he have 
permitted her to proceed on her voyage to England. 
Because he failed in adhering to all these technical 
formalities, Mr. Seward contended that the whole pro- 
ceeding became legally vitiated ah initio. At a later 
period Mr. Sumner discussed the subject in the Senate, 
and vindicated the surrender of the Rebels on no other 
grounds. He affirmed that the arrest could not be 
justified by J.mf?'2can precedents and practice; that the 
Federal Government had never regarded the dispatches 
of a hostile nation as contraband ; that that government 
had heretofore considered no persons as contraband 



THE SOUTHERX REBELLION. 251 

except those actually engaged in the military or the naval 
service of an enemy; and that it had always opposed and 
condemned the alleged power on the part of any single 
oflEicer, to adjudicate and decide personal rights by the 
ti'ibunal of the quarter deck. These |)ositions Mr. Sumner 
defended with immense erudition and with some logical 
force. Nevertheless, the question still remained unde- 
termined in the tribunal of popular judgment and common 
sense, whether in such cases it was proper and just to 
pursue toward England that policy which was indicated 
by English, or that indicated by American precedents; 
and to myriads of intelligent thinkers it seemed clear, 
that the British Government ought not to pursue a 
particular line of. policy toward the whole world, and 
claim the right of search and of arrest in such cases, 
against all other nations, and then demand, when the 
occasion served their interests, that all other nations 
should be required, under precisely similar circumstances, 
to pursue toward them a policy directly opposite to their 
own. When, therefore, the Eebel commissioners were 
surrendered to the British authorities, it was done chiefly 
from motives of expediency, which were concealed and 
disguised under delicate tissues of elaborate and far- 
fetched special pleading, which were intended rather *to 
excuse the act, than to demonstrate .its validity and 
correctness in the light of abstract equity, and the 
established principles of international law. 

The Federal army of the Potomac had been stationed 
in the vicinity of Washington, during several months, 
a.ssiduously employed in perfecting their discipline, and 
their familiarity with military evolutions, when, on the 
20th of December, General McCall determined to send 
out a large foraging party, and to make a reconnoissance 
in force with a ])ortion of the troops under his command. 



252 A HISTORY OF 

Tie had ascertained that a considerable number of Eebels 
had taken a position at Drainsville, and he resolved to 
attack them. He 2;ave orders to General Ord to march 
thither with his brigade. General Eeynolds was directed 
also to advance to Difficult Creek with the forces under 
his command, to support him. The troops which were 
thus brought into service consisted of the sixth, ninth, 
tenth, and twelfth Pennsylvania Eeserves, the first regi- 
ment of rifles, and Easton's battery. In the march 
toward the enemy, the rifles, commanded by Lieutenant 
Colonel Kane, led the advance, with Easton's battery, 
and a portion of the first Pennsylvania cavalry. At half 
past one o'clock these troops encountered the Rebels, 
posted near Drainsville, and the action immediately 
commenced. A portion of the Rebel forces were con- 
cealed in the dense woods, and it was some time before 
their exact position could be ascertained. The guns of 
Easton's battery were brought to bear upon them with 
great effect. They then advanced, for the purpose of 
turning the left of the Federal troops, but General 
McCall, who had by this time reached the scene of action 
with his staff, detected and foiled this movement. He 
immediately notified Colonel McCalmot, who commanded 
the left of the Federal forces, of the impending danger ; 
and such a disposition was instantly made as defeated the 
purpose of the enemy, and compelled them to return to 
their position. , 

Meanwhile the engagement was progressing with spirit 
in the centre and on the right wing of the Union troops. 
The ninth infantry, under Colonel Jackson, had en- 
countered the Rebels and overpowered them. In the 
centre, the sixth regiment, under Colonel Ricketts, 
together with the Bucktail rifles, under Lieutenant 
Colonel Kane, received and repulsed the charge of the 



THE SOUTHEEN" REBELLION". 253 

foe with much gallantry. As the enemy retreated, the 
Federal troops advanced, until the rout became precipi- 
tate and complete. As the victors proceeded through 
the woods, they met numerous evidences of the heavy 
losses wliich the enemy had suffered ; for the ground was 
strewn with the dying and the dead, with mangled horses, 
shattered gun carriages, caissons, arms, ammunition and 
clothing. The defeat of the Rebels was complete, and 
their flight ignominious. General McCall ordered the 
pursuit to be continued for a mile beyond the scene of 
conflict by two regiments ; but so rapid was the pace 
of the fugitives that it was impossible to overtake them. 
A hundred dead Rebels were afterward counted on the 
field ; their wounded, who were doubtless more numerous, 
they carried away wi^li them. They had probably 
four thousand men in the action, and were therefore 
more numerous than their assailants. The loss on the 
Federal side was seven killed and sixty wounded. After 
this engagement, General McCall proceeded to collect 
forage. He obtained sixteen wagon loads of hay and 
twenty-two of corn, with which he returned to his camp. 
The brigade of General Reynolds did not reach the battle 
field until the contest was over, though they made the 
latter part of the march with the utmost possible celerity. 
The engagement of Drainsville was gne of the most 
spirited and successful wliich had occurred during the 
progress of the war. General McCall, the cliief hero of the 
da}^, was a veteran officer, a native of Philadelphia. He 
entered the United States, army in 1818, After several 
promotions, h*e served with distinction under General 
Worth in Florida. lie acquired fresh laurels at the battle 
of Resaca de la Raima, and in July, 18-46, was appointed 
adjutant to General Zachary Taylor, with the rank of 
major. In 1850 he became inspector general, with the 



254 A HISTORY OF 

rank of colonel. He afterward retired from the service, 
and resided near West Chester, Pennsylvania, until the 
commencement of the rebellion. He was then appointed 
major general of the fifteen regiments which were author- 
ized to be raised by the Legislature of Pennsylvania. 
Immediately after the battle of Manassas, the services 
of these troops, with those of their commanding officer, 
were tendered to the Federal Government, and accepted. 
The victory of Drainsville was a worthy continuation of 
General McCall's previous achievements. He subse- 
cjuently accompanied the army of General McClellan in 
the Peninsula, and took a prominent and distinguished 
part in several of the great battles which were fought in 
the vicinity of Kichmond. At length, in the fearful 
conflict on the 30th of June, he was taken prisoner, and 
removed. to the Rebel capital; but after a short captivity 
he was releas:ed. 

On the 13th of January, 1862, an important change 
took place in the Federal Cabinet, the announcement of 
which surprised, and perhaps gratified, the nation. On 
that day Simon Cameron, the Secretary of War, was 
notified by Mr. Lincoln that he was relieved from the 
duties of his office, and that he had been appointed 
minister plenipotentiary to Pussia, in the room of 
Cassius M. Clay. Edwin M. Stanton, a distinguished 
lawyer, originally from Ohio, but at that time a resident of 
AVashington, was selected as the successor of the retiring 
Secretary. 

On the 19th of January the Federal forces under 
General G. II. Thomas, and the Eebel troops under 
General Felix Zollicoffer, who had been gradually ap- 
proaching each other in Kentucky, met ; a desperate 
battle was fought between them near the village of Mill 
Springs; and the inhabitants of the loyal States were 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 255 

clicered by the announcement of a splendid and decisive 
victory to the Federal arms. Previous to this date 
General Zollicoffcr had entrenched himself in a fortified 
position about fifteen miles southwest from Somerset, 
and twelve miles from the Cumberland river. This 
position commanded the whole of the surrounding 
country, and held the citizens of Pulaski, Wayne, and 
Russel counties in subjection to the Rebel power. 
General Thomas had formed the resolution to attack 
these entrenchments in conjunction with the troops under 
General Schoepff, who was then posted at Somerset. 
Accordingly, he commenced his march from Jamestown 
toward the position of the enemy. On the 17th, General 
ZoUicoffer having been informed by some treasonable 
means, of the contemplated enterprise of the two Federal 
commanders, determined to defeat it by marching forth 
from his works, attacking General Thomas first, and 
having routed him, to assail General Schoepff, thus van- 
quishing his opponents in detail. 

The hostile forces first came in contact at seven o'clock 
on the morning of the 19th, when the pickets of Colonel 
Manson's troops, who had been posted in the advance, 
were driven in. It was soon evident that the Rebel 
army was approaching in full force. The distant firing 
aroused tlie Federal camp, and a portion of the tenth 
Indiana regiment was ordered forward to the support of 
the pickets. The whole of that regiment soon afterward 
advanced against the enemy, who were gradually forming 
into line, regiment by regiment, and taking their posi- 
tions on the scene of conflict. After the firing had con- 
tinued for half an hour, an attempt was made by a body 
of Rebel cavalry, to outflank the Federal troops which 
had thus far been engaged. The movement was partially 
successful ; and the right wing, consisting of the tenth 



256 A HISTORY OF 

Indiana, under Colonel Kise, was compelled to fall back 
to avoid beins^ surrounded. The order to retire was 
judiciously given ; for at that period of the battle the 
Rebel forces continually rolled forward like an inex- 
haustible flood ; they advanced with loud and frantic 
yells, intended to intimidate their foes ; and the supe- 
riority of their numbers at that juncture, might have 
given them an advantage which would have seriously 
affected the issue of the day. While thus retiring in 
good oi'der, the fugitives were met and supported by the 
fourth Kentucky, tlie ninth Ohio, and the second Min- 
nesota regiments. The combat was then renewed with 
desperate energy on both sides. The enemy had been 
strengthened by large accessions on their extreme left ; 
and a portion of the tenth Indiana was ordered to tliat 
point, to assist the troops there engaged. 

The nature of the ground rendered the operations of 
the troops exceedingly difficult, being covered, for the 
m<ost part, by tangled brushwood, fallen logs, or growing 
corn. It was also difficult to place the artillery in favora- 
ble positions, for the same reasons. Nevertheless, as the 
battle progressed, the batteries of Whitmore, Standard, 
and Kinney performed efficient service. The guns of 
the Rebels, however, did less dara'age than these, as they 
were aimed too high. The vicissitudes of the conflict 
reached over a mile in extent, and were various and 
vacillating, as hour after hour wore away. Within the 
limits of the battle-field, several positions were of 
superior importance ; and around these positions the 
most desperate combats occurred. A log-house and 
stable were of this class, and both parties contended, in 
a long and bloody struggle, for the possession of them. 
At last the ninth Ohio remained masters of the position. 
This position, though valuable, still left the issue of the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 257 

contest uncertain ; for tlie determination of the Eebcls 
remained as unyielding and intense as before. 

It was now eleven o'clock, and no serious advantage 
had yet been gained by either army. The centre and 
left of the* Federal forces had repeatedly advanced, fired, 
and fallen back ; and the same evolutions had as often 
been performed by the Eebels. General Thomas de- 
termined at length to attempt a decisive movement. At 
that time the fourteenth Ohio and tenth Kentucky 
regiments were approaching the battle-field, along the 
Columbus road; and a fresh accession of strength was 
thus afforded. General Thomas ordered Colonel Caster 
to flank the enemy's right wing with his regiment, which 
till then had not joined in the action. In concert with 
this movement Colonel McCook ordered the ninth Ohio 
to charge the position of the enemy with fixed bayonets, 
and turn their left flank. This regiment was composed 
chiefly of Germans ; and no sooner was this order given, 
than, having first discharged their guns, they rushed 
forward to the attack on the Rebel lines with vociferous 
cheering. The latter at first prepared to receive them. 
They maintained their position until the formidable wall 
of bristling bayonets approached within thirty yards of 
their front. A Tennessee regiment on the extreme left 
fired a feeble and rambling volley iuto the advancing 
Federals; they then broke and fled. A Mississippi regi- 
ment delivered a similar volley, and immediately made 
a similar retreat. The panic and the rout spread rapidly, 
until it extended over tlie entire line of the enemy. The 
gallant charge of the ninth Ohio had decided the fortunes 
of the day. The whole Rebel army at length retreated 
toward their entrenchments in the utmost disorder, and 
with heavy losses of guns and ammunition. The path- 
way of their flight was covered with innumerable 
17 



258 A HISTORY OF 

trophies of tlieir disaster, and with multitudes of tlie 
wounded, tlie dying, and the dead. 

But the most serious calamitj'- of this memorable day 
to the Eebel cause, was the death of General Felix Zolli- 
coffer. It was near the conclusion of the conflict when 
this event occurred. Zollicofter, attended by his staft" 
was riding over the field, directing the movements of his 
troops, when, being somewhat in advance of his line, the 
group was observed by Colonel S. S. Fry of the fourth 
Kentucky regiment. That officer rode toward them and 
fired. His shot was immediately returned by one of Zol- 
licofler's aids, who unhorsed him. He then aimed 
again, and with fatal accuracy sent his bullet through 
the heart of the Eebel commander. Zollicoffer fell to the 
earth, his attendants fled in dismay, and his inanimate 
remains were left to add to the trophies and glories of 
the victory. They were afterward found in a wagon, 
together with the body of Lieutenant Bailie Peyton, on 
the route of the retreat. The death of General Zolli- 
coffer was no ordinary blow to the Rebel cause. He 
was a man of great energy and ability. He had risen to 
eminence through a loiig gradation of honorable offices, 
such as the editorship of several leading journals in 
Tennessee; as- State printer, as State Comptroller, as 
member of the State Senate, and as Representative in the 
Federal Congress. When the Rebellion commenced, he 
did not regard its purposes and principles with favor. 
But when he found the majority of the population of the 
Southern States enthusiastically in favor of the movement, 
and saw that the tide was becoming resistless, he joined 
with those around him, and was promoted to a high 
command in the Rebel army. He was a disappointed 
statesman^ an habitual sadness pervaded his spirit; and 



r - — ' " 

THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 259 

on the bloody field of Mill Springs, tlie last of his hopes 
was crushed by the hand of death. 

The fugitive Kebels were pursued on the day of the 
battle till within a mile of the fortifications which Gene- 
ral Zollicoffer had lately occupied. The Federal cannon 
were then brought to bear upon the works, and the pro- 
cess of shelling commenced. This was continued during 
an hour. Only a single gun responded. Then night 
fell, and the wearied victors reposed on their arms, 
expecting to renew the assault in the morning. At 
break of day on the morning of the 20th, several regi- 
ments were thrown forward toward the entrenchments. 
Soon the scouts reported that the works were untenanted. 
The enemy had in fact evacuated them during the night ; 
had fled across the river; and had thus rendered the 
triumph of the Federal troops complete. Not only their 
military strength, but their moral force, had been utterly 
dissipated by one of the most complete disasters which 
had yet overtaken the cause of the Rebellion. 

The number of troops engaged in this conflict was 
about ten thousand on the side of the Rebels, and seven 
thousand on that of the Federals. The victors captured 
eight six pounders, and two Parrot guns, one hundred 
wagons, twelve hundred horses and mules, a thousand 
muskets, and a large amount of provisions. The loss of 
the enemy was a hundred and fourteen killed, and 
probably three hundred wounded. The Federal loss was 
forty killed, a hundred and twenty-seven wounded. The 
consequences of this triumph were important. Beside 
inspiriting the whole nation with patriotic exultation, it 
opened the passes to the Cumberland mountains, which 
led to the valley of the Tennessee river, thereby giving 
access to the territory of North Carolina from the west. 
It thus assisted in completing that chain of military 



260 A HISTOKY OF 

bands witli whicli the Federal Government was gradually 
girding the limits of the Eebel confederacy, with the 
intent that, at the proper and critical moment, it might, 
by one powerful and resistless constriction, crush out of 
it the last remains of vitality. 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION". 261 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE BURXSIDE EXPEDITION — ITS STRENGTH AND SECRET DESTINATION — ■ 

ITS DEPARTURE FROM ANNAPOLIS IT REACHES FORTRESS MONROE 

ANOTHER GALE OFF CAFE HATTERAS ITS RESULTS LOSS OF THE 

STEAMER CITY OF NEW YORK — HEROISM OF GENERAL BURNSIDE THE 

EXPEDITION ENTERS PAMLICO SOUND — IT STEERS FOR ROANOKE ISLAND 

REBEL WORKS ERECTED ON THAT ISLAND — THE FEDERAL TROOPS 

DISEMBARK PLAN OF THE ATTACK INCIDENTS OF THE ENGAGEMENT 

THE FINAL CHARGE — DEFEAT AND FLIGHT OF THE REBELS CAPTURE 

OF THEIR FORTS THEIR STRENGTH RESULTS OF THE VICTORY DEATH 

OF COLONEL DE MONTUEIL SKETCH OF GENERAL BURNSIDE ATTACK 

ON FORT HENRY — STRENGTH OF THE FORT NUMBER OF THE FEDERAL 

GUNBOATS INCIDENTS OF THE BOMBARDMENT SURRENDER OF THE 

REBEL WORKS — TROPHIES OF THE VICTORY — LOSS ON BOTH SIDES — ■ 
SKILL AND HEROISM OF COMMODORE FOOTE — SKETCH OF HIS CAREER — • 
FURTHER OPERATIONS OF THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION. 

The signal success that had atteuJed the several ex- 
peditions which sailed to Ilatteras and Port Royal, 
encouraged the Federal Government to continue that 
effective method of operation. Accordingly, General 
Burnside was appointed to the command of another 
armament consisting of both land atid naval forces, 
whose destination was as yet unknown, but which he was 
ordered to organize and complete with the utmost dis- 
patch. That able and energetic officer at once addressed 
himself to the task assigned him. Under his direction a 
large number of vessels and transports were purchased ; 
provisions, arms, and ammunition were procured; troops 
were collected ; and by the 9th of January, 1862, the 
largest and most formidable expedition which ever pro- 
ceeded from an American port, was ready to sail from 



262 A HISTORY OF 

Annapolis. The total number of vessels of all kinds, 
excepting tliose belonging to the regular navy, was forty- 
five. The troops on board amounted to sixteen thousand 
men, and were commanded, under General Burnside, by 
three brigadier generals, Foster, Eeno and Parke. Bach 
of these of&cers belonged to the regular army, and were 
soldiers by profession. The number of guns of heavy 
calibre carried by the fleet was forty-five, possessing a 
range of two miles and a half, together with five floating 
batteries. A large number of the transports had been 
provided through the necessary agency of contractors ; 
and the government was grossly defrauded, and serious 
perils were subsequently entailed upon the expedition, 
through the knavery of those who obtained the contracts 
for furnishing the expedition. 

The embarkation of the troops commenced at An- 
napolis on the 5th of Januar3^ The first brigade com- 
manded by General Foster, first went on board ; then 
followed the second, commanded by General Eeno ; then 
the third, under the orders of General Parke. The entire 
process was completed by the 8th, and on the morning 
of the 9th the signal gun from the Picket boomed over 
the tranquil waste of waters, announcing the moment of 
departure. Soon every anchor was hauled up, the sails 
were spread on every craft, the hoarse voices of the many 
steamers were heard, shouts of joy and martial melodies 
resounded from ship to shore, and the vast armament 
began to move with steady and graceful majesty over 
the blue bosom of the Chesapeake. 

The first destination of the fleet was Fortress Monroe. 
They arrived at that point on the lOth,- and proceeded at 
once to anchor abreast of the fortress. On the 11th, 
during the night, the voyage was resumed, and the fleet 
sailed from Hampton Eoads, while the ocean and the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLIOX. 



263 



land still reposed beneath tlie beams of a briglit moon- 
light. A propitious breeze gently wafted the adventurers 
forward on their way, and cape after cape along the main 
was quickly passed. When Sunday morning dawned, 
the sv/iftest steamers were already in view of Hatteras 
light, and before the evening of that day, a number of 
them had passed over the bar of Hatteras inlet. Thus far 
all had progressed in the most favorable and fortunate 
manner. But during Sunday night the scene suddenly 
changed, A gale of terrific violence began to blow from 
the northwest, exceeding any thing ordinarily witnessed 
on that stormy coast, and soon the bosom of the deep was 
lashed into fury. The watery waste presented the aspect 
of an endless series of convulsed and revolving mountains. 
During two whole days and nights it was impossible for 
any communication to be had from one vessel to another. 
They were often lost from each other's sight, either 
buried in the troughs of the angry sea, or separated by 
the colossal waves. Gradually the spectacle became one of 
appalling interest, for the tempest still increased in 
violence, and soon many of the vessels and transports, 
from the peculiar character of their freight, became 
almost unmanageable. The violence of the winds drove 
some of the ships and transports out to sea, and some it 
grounded in the swash channel. Ov^r all of them the 
enormous waves dashed from prow to stern, deluging 
their upper decks. They reeled and staggered like 
drunken men. Many lost their guards, and some of the 
steamers lost their wheclhouscs. The menacing wall of 
breakers which girded Pamlico Sound, seemed impassable 
to those vessels which had not cleared the bar before the 
storm began ; and their only safety appeared to be in 
keeping as far out from land as possible. During the 
continuance of this terrible tempest, accompanied with 



264 A HISTORY OF 

deluges of rain, the officers and men exhibited the utmost 
heroism, and General Burnside sailed to and fro amid 
the tossing and rolling seas in his staff boat, the Picket, 
endeavoring to assist and counsel each of his officers in 
command. 

But, in spite of admirable seamanship and dauntless 
resolution, the usual effects of the destructive violence of 
the waves commenced to appear; for rarely had old 
ocean been the arena of a spectacle similar to that then 
exhibited in the vicinfty of Ilatteras. The large steamer 
City of New York was driven on the bar lying at the 
entrance of the Harbor. She was three hundred and fift}^ 
feet long, twenty-five hundred tons burden, and was 
heavily laden with stores and ammunition. It was 
found impossible to render her any assistance, and she 
eventually became a total wreck. A portion of her crew 
was saved. When the surf boat reached the sinking 
steamer, her officers and men were clinging with despera- 
tion to her sides, the sea making clear breaches over her 
entire deck. The gunboat Zouave, which had on board 
three companies of the twenty-fifth Massachusetts regi- 
ment, sank at her anchorage, though all those on board 
were fortunately rescued before she went down. The 
Louisiana, an enormous steamer, three hundred feet in 
length, having an entire regiment on board, was driven 
on a sand bar, and was seriously disabled. Her passen- 
gers and crew were also rescued. A collision took place 
between the steamer Cossack and the brig Hope, by which 
both were badly damaged. Colonel Allen, of the New 
Jersey regiment, his surgeon Weller, and second officer, 
Taylor, were lost by the swamping of a life boat, in which 
they were endeavoring, with generous daring, to render 
assistance to those imperilled by the ruthless tempest. 

Such were some of the scenes connected with this 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 265 

memorable occasion. After the fury of the storm abated, 
the vessels which had drifted out to sea gradually returned, 
and passed successively over the bar, by means of steam 
tugs and other appropriate helps, into the tranquil 
waters within. Nothing but the superior skill and 
dauntless resolution of the oflftcers who commanded this 
expedition could have saved it from entire destruction. 
Islost commendable among these was General Burnside 
himself. While the winds blew, and the rains descended, 
and the billows rolled with the greatest violence, he was 
constantly sailing in his staff boat to and fro amid the 
watery world of tumult and danger, regardless of his own 
peril, solicitous only for the safety of his men and his 
ships. It was a thrilling spectacle to witness his move- 
ments. At one moment his small steamer would be seen 
riding on the summit of a monstrous wave, then he would 
become enveloped in the deluge of spray which swept 
over the entire vessel, and then again he would become 
wholly invisible, swallowed in the yawning gullies of the 
deep. Undaunted, he would soon appear, to go through 
the same process, with the same result. 

At length the storm wholly ceased. After five days 
of incessant labor, on the 22d the entire fleet entered 
Pamlico Sound. The naval portion of the expedition 
had been placed under the command of Commodore Golds- 
borough, lie and his officers had contributed greatly by 
their skill and valor, to the preservation of the fleet 
during the recent storm. Their assistance and coopera- 
tion in the events which ensued were of equal importance 
and value to the Federal cause. 

Some days elapsed, after the termination of the storm, 
before General Burnside and his troops were ready to 
resume operations. On the 4th of February the steamer 
Paiuxent was dispatched to every vessel in the fleet, with 



266 A HISTORY OF 

orders to be in readiness to sail on the ensuing morninor. 
At four o'clock on the 5tli a busy scene was presented 
bj the vast assemblage of vessels, and all were soon in 
proper trim to advance. Each steamer towed two or 
three sailing vessels, filled with troops and stores, and 
the signal to weigh anchor having been given, seventy- 
five vessels of every imaginable size and construction 
began to move. Till that moment the destination of the 
fleet had remained a secret to all save the commanding 
officers. The order to steer across Pamlico Sound toward 
the shore of North Carolina, at last assured the men that 
Roanoke Island was the intended point of attack. Forts 
Hatteras and Clark gradually disappeared in the distance 
of the southern horizon ; and at nine o'clock on the 
morning of the 16th, the vast armament approached the 
point on the Island which the Rebels had fortified. Their 
works consisted of four batteries, which commanded the 
main channel through the Croatan Sound. As soon as 
the Federal fleet came within range of their guns, they 
opened a fire upon them. To this fire the gunboats, 
whose lighter draught enabled them to approach nearer 
the batteries, responded. After several hours the barracks 
of the rebels were set on fire, which greatly crippled 
their operations, and their fire gradually ceased. 

This contest was merely a preliminary one. At five 
o'clock orders were given to disembark the troops. Thia 
process occupied the entire night, and when the next 
morning dawned the Federal flag once more floated over 
the soil of a Rebel State, surrounded by a powerful and 
valiant force. In addition to the four forts already 
mentioned, a Rebel array was encamped several miles to 
the left of the works. A swamp intervened between the 
two, which was crossed by a narrow road constructed of 
the trtinks of trees which had been sunk in the quagmire. 



THE SOUTHERN PvEBELLIO:^'. 267 

Up this road General Foster advanced witli tlie twenty- 
third, twenty-fifth, and twenty -seventh Massachusetts, 
the tenth Connecticut, and the fifth Rhode Island regi- 
ments. At the same time General Reno proceeded with 
his brigade to attack one of the forts. It was a difhuult 
and dangerous service, in consequence of the peculiar 
nature of the surrounding country. It was an almost 
impassable swamp, sometimes covered with brushwood, 
sometimes lying under water. The first day terminated 
before any thing could be accomplished. The night 
which followed was stormy, and the troops remained 
under arms, deluged with rain, without shelter or proper 
food. When morning dawned the contest was resumed. 
The sharpshooters of the enemy, stationed and concealed 
in the woods to the rear and the right of the fort, did 
much execution. Their batteries were also worked with 
effect, and a continuous discharge of small arms from 
their troops stationed in the vicinity of the fort, was very 
destructive. The Federal soldiers were often compelled 
to load their guns while lying in the mud and water. 

At length the order was given to charge the enemy at 
the point of the bayonet. During the execution of this 
order the Eebels increased their fire with deadly effect. 
As a portion of the Federal troops were compelled to 
march to the attack through a swamp nearly waist-deep, 
their efforts were made under immense disadvantages. 
Nevertheless, they poured a heavy fire upon the enemy 
while advancing; and as they approached the Ilebel 
works the enemy fled, leaving their guns unspiked, and 
throwing away in their haste their arms, knapsacks, and 
whatever else could impede their retreat. The Federal 
troops at last struggled through the swamp, waded 
througli the moat, climbed over the parapets, and entered 
the deserted fortification with loud and enthusiastic 



268 A HISTORY OF 

cheers. The flags of the twenty-first Massachusetts and 
the fifty-first New York were unfurled at the same 
moment over the late stronghold of the vanquished 
Eebels, 

The pursuit of the fugitives was imme^liately com- 
menced by the troops of the second brigade, commanded 
by General E-eno. They had fled toward their encamp- 
ment in the interior of the island. Their pathway was 
covered with evidences of their terror, and of the pre- 
cipitation of their flight. Many of their wounded were 
left to the mercy of the victors, and some w^ho fell ex- 
hausted and unable to continue their flight became 
prisoners. Thirty or forty persons put off from the 
sliore in a small sloop, to escape across Eoauoke Sound 
toward the mainland. Among them was 0. Jennings 
Wise, who had been mortally wounded. General Keno 
ordered five companies to scour the beach, and to fire 
upon the Rebel boat if she refused to return. The latter 
obeved the summons, came ashore, and surrendered to 
Major Clark. Meanwhile the Federal forces were ad- 
vancing toward the Rebel camp named " Georgia," under 
the command of Generals Foster and Reno. As the 
advanced guard, consisting of a company of the twenty- 
first Massachusetts, were marching through the forest, a 
number of Rebels who were in ambush fired upon them, 
Tliese were soon routed, three being killed and five 
wounded. A short time afterward a detachment of 
Rebels was observed approaching, bearing a flag of truce. 
Having come within hailing distance of the Federal lines 
Lieutenant Poor, who commanded the flag, desired to see 
the chief Federal officer. He was conducted to General 
Foster. He inquired Avhat terms of capitulation would be 
granted. The answer was, tliat no other terms than an 
immediate and unconditional surrender were admissible. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 269 

Lieutenant Poor at once acceded to them, and led the 
waj to the Eebel encampment. Having arrived the 
capitulation was completed, and all the guns, works, am- 
munition and stores of the Eebels on Roanoke Island 
became the trophies of the victors. Two thousand Eebel 
troops were also taken prisoners of war. They were com- 
posed chiefly of residents of North Carolina. Among them 
was Colonel Shaw, the commandant of the Island. The 
Federal loss during the entire contest was twenty killed 
and ninety-six wounded. The loss of the Rebels was 
probably greater, though it was not accurately ascer- 
tained. 

The several forts which had been erected on Roanoke 
Island by the Rebels for the purpose of commanding 
Roanoke and Croatan Sounds, were of considerable 
strength. Fort Bartow mounted one rifled thirty-two 
pounder, six smooth bore thirty-two pounders, and one 
rifled brass six pounder. Fort Blanchard, situated two 
miles from Fort Bartow, contained four long thirty-two 
pounders. Farther up the island, and near its extremity, 
was Fort Huger, which contained nine long thirty -two 
pounders and one rifled gun. In an opposite portion 
of the island was Fort Fornest, which contained two 
thirty-two pounders. Though insignificant in size it 
commanded the route from Croatan Sound to Nags 
Head. A battery at Robb's Fishery on the mainland 
opposite, which was composed of old barges, and held 
three guns, was destroyed as worthless by the Federal 
troops, after the capitulation. When deserting their 
several forts the Rebels attempted to spike their cannon 
with ten penny nails. All of these were afterward ex- 
tracted, and the purpose of the Rebels defeated. 

The complete and glorious victory which graced the 
Federal arras in the capture of Roanoke Island, fell like 



270 



A HISTORY OF 



a thunderbolt on the Eebel leaders. Its value to the 
cause of the Union was immense ; and its relation to 
operations which were afterward to be undertaken was 
important. Daring its progress several personal inci- 
dents occurred which invested it with a deep and 
permanent interest. Among these was the heroic death 
of Lieutenant Colonel De Montueil, of the D'Epineuil 
Zouaves. When the New York ninth made the gallant 
charge, which was the chief cause of the desertion of 
Fort Bartow by the Eebels, he rushed forward in the 
advance. In one of the last volleys of musketry which 
they discharged from their works, in the dawning hour 
of exultant victory, he fell, pierced through the head by 
a bullet. His death was a serious loss; for he was an 
officer of unusual merit. But within the gloomy walls 
of Fort Bartow, amid all the wreck and confusion 
produced by the conflict, there was another death-scene 
of still more melancholy interest. 0. Jennings Wise, the 
son of Henry A. Wise, after having been brought back 
wounded to the fort, was placed under the care of a 
surgeon ; but it soon became evident that he was beyond 
the aid of the physician's art. Until he became speech- 
less he i^etained the hope that he would recover; and 
inquired with great solicitude from the surgeon whether, 
after his recovery, he would be permitted to return to 
Eichmond on his parole of honor ? His early death was 
a sad but well-deserved penalty for the prostitution of 
his talents and his influence to the cause of treason. 
Previous to the commencement of the attack, a Eebel 
fleet commanded by Commodore Lynch had been 
stationed at Eoanoke Island. It consisted of nine small 
vessels which mounted seventeen guns. All these 
vessels, with the exception of two, were subsequently 
taken or destroyed by the Federal forces. By this event 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 271 

the enemy were thencefortli deprived of all means of 
communication along Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. 

Thus far the purposes of this expedition had been 
successfully attained, and reflected honor on all con- 
cerned, but especially upon its master-spirit General 
Burnside. This gallant officer was born in Indiana in 
1324. He entered West Point Academy at the early age 
of eighteen, and graduated in 1847. He was breveted 
seoond lieutenant, and joining the army then in Mexico, 
marched under Patterson to the gates of the capital. 
After the conclusion of the war he was stationed at Fort 
Adams, in Newport Harbor. In 1849 he was attached 
to Captain Bragg's battery, and performed frontier 
service during several years in New Mexico. He after- 
ward received the post of Quartermaster to the commis- 
sion which surveyed the boundary line between the 
United States and Mexico. He was then already dis- 
tinguished for his energy and daring. In 1851 he 
crossed the plains from the Gila river, through the Indian 
territory, traveling twelve hundred miles in seventeen 
days, with an escort of only three men, and brought 
dispatches from Colonel Graham to the President. He 
was again stationed at Fort Adams; but subsequentl}'-, 
wearied with a life of inaction, he obtained the post of 
cashier of the Land Department of the Illinois Central 
Railroad, of which General McClellan was then superin- 
tendent. Two years later he became the treasurer of the 
company, and removed to the city of New York. Imme- 
diately after the outbreak of the Rebellion, he was 
invited by Governor Sprague of Rhode Island to take 
command of the first regiment of that State. He imme- 
diately accepted the offer, and in half an hour commenced 
his journey to Providence. He distinguished himself by 
his coolness and bravery in the engagement at Stone 



272 A HISTORY OF 

Bridge, and afterward at the more EQeraorable and 
disastrous conflict of Bull Eun. His superior merits as 
an officer and a man strongly commended him as a 
suitable person to command the Federal expedition 
asfainst Roanoke Island. The event demonstrated the 
wisdom of the appointment. 

From this scene of triumph on the sea coast, we turn 
to another of equal interest, though of less imposing pro- 
portions, in the opposite extremity of the Union. 

On the 5th of February General Grant ordered Flag 
Officer Foote to take command of seven gunboats and 
proceed to the attack of Fort Henry, an important Rebel 
fortification, situated on the eastern bank of the Tennessee 
river near the Kentucky line, about fifty-five miles from 
Paducah, A reconnoissance of the works had previously 
been made by General C. F. Smith, on the 21st of Januar}^, 
by which he ascertained that the Federal gunboats could 
assume a position in the river from which they could 
assault the fort with advantage. The fortification contained 
two sixty-four pounders, one thirty-two pounder, two 
twenty-four pounders, three six pounders, and two twelve 
pound howitzers. The garrison numbered about sixty 
men. The capture of the fort was important, inasmuch 
as it would enable the Federal boats to ascend the 
Tennessee river to the point where the Memphis and 
Ohio railroad crossed, and would give the Union troops 
possession of that valuable means of communication. 

The gunboats appropriated to the service of reducing 
the fort were the Cincinnati, the St. Louis, the Carondelet, 
the Essex, the Oonestoga, the Taylor, and the Lexington. 
These boats had been built expressly for such enterprises, 
and were constructed on so broad a model that they 
possessed, while in the water, almost the firmness of a 
land battery. The Cincinnati carried thirteen guns, and 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 278 

was comraanded by Lieutenant R. N. Stembel. The St. 
Louis carried thirteen guns, and was commanded by 
Lieutenant Paulding. The force of the Carondelet was 
the same, commanded by Henry Walke. The Essex had 
nine guns, and was under the orders of Commander H. D. 
Porter. The Conestoga, the Taylor, and the Lexington 
were of similar strength, and were commanded by 
Lieutenants Phelps, Gwin, and Shirk, respectively. 
These vessels having approached on the 6th of February 
within seventeen hundred yards of Fort Henry, com- 
menced the assault at half past twelve o'clock. The 
action was spirited on both sides, and continued during 
nearly two hours. The firing of the Rebels was made 
with precision. A shot passed through the boiler of the 
Essex, which disabled her, and killed several men by the 
escaping steam after which she was compelled to drop 
down the river. The Cincinnati received thirty-one 
shots, and had one man killed and eight wounded. 
During the engagement this boat proudly kept her 
position in the advance, until at last she reached a point 
within three hundred yards of the fort. A number of 
the Rebel guns had now been dismounted, and one of 
them burst. The enemy lost five killed and ten wounded. 
At forty minutes past one o'clock the Rebel flag was 
struck, and the fort surrendered. The commanding 
officer. General Lloyd Tilghman, together with fifty-four 
men, became prisoners of war. The trophies of the 
victory consisted of the ammunition and artillery of the 
enemy, together with a large amount of stores and tents, 
sufficient to accommodate fifteen thousand men. Previous 
to the engagement, a body of several thousand Rebel 
troops had been encamped in the vicinity of the fort. 
Tliese retreated toward Paris as soon as they discovered 
that the surrender of the vv^orks was inevitable; and by 
18 
I 



274 A HISTORY OF 

this precipitate flight thej succeeded in getting beyond 
the grasp of the victors. General Grant reached the 
scene of conflict nearly an hour after the surrender, and 
immediately took possession of the fort. The land forces 
under his command had therefore no opportunity of 
participating in the contest. It had been a part of the 
plan of the assault, that the forces under General Grant 
should attack those of the Kebels near the fort, in the 
rear; but the condition of the roads and of the river pre- 
vented that officer, as we have stated, from reaching the 
scene of conflict until after the termination of the engage- 
ment. The loss on the Federal side was thirty-nine 
killed and wounded. Immediately after the capitulation, 
the bridge of the Memphis and Ohio railroad, fifteen 
miles above the fort, was taken possession of by a detach- 
ment of Federal troops. The gunboats which performed 
such efficient service on this occasion were partly iron- 
clad, and generally resisted with success the shot of the 
enemy. The ball which penetrated the boiler of the 
Essex, by which the greatest injury was effected, entered 
the forward part, passing through the heavy bulkhead. 
Immediately after the conclusion of the battle General 
Grant ordered a large portion of his command to take 
their position on the road leading from Fort Henry 
toward Fort Donelson, which important fortification was 
designated as the next object of attack. 

Captain Andrew H. Foote, the chief hero of the 
capture of Fort Henry, was born in Connecticut, and 
was a son of Senator Foote from that State, against whom 
Daniel Webster delivered one of his most famous and 
elaborate orations. He entered the United States service 
in 1822, and gradually rose in his profession until 1852, 
when he attained the rank of commodore. He spent 
twenty years in service at sea, and the remainder of his 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION, 275 

professional life in duty on shore. When the rebellion 
broke forth, he was in command of the navy j^ard at 
Brooklyn. lie Avas then promoted to a captaincy, and 
transferred to the Department of the West, where he was 
placed in command of the flotilla on the Mississippi. In 
the course of his diversified services he had visited 
Japan, and the coasts of Africa ; respecting which he 
wrote and published a number of essays which indicated 
superior literary ability. He deservedly ranked among 
the most eminent, brave, and worthy naval officers whom 
the annals of our country, either in war or in peace, have 
yet produced. 

The Burnside expedition, after having reduced the 
Eebel batteries on Eoanoke Island, and taken possession 
of it, entered the waters of Albemarle Sound, and steering 
in a northern direction, sailed up the Pasquotank river. 
The next apparent object of attack at this period seemed 
to be Elizabeth Cit}^, the capital of Pasquotank county, 
and one of the most important towns in the northeastern 
portion of North Carolina. But with admirable pru- 
dence the commander confined the secret of his purposes 
to his own bosom, thereby leaving the enemy in a per- 
plexing uncertainty in regard to his future movements. 



276 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER XYII. 

POSITION AND STRKNGTH OF FORT DONELSON — GENERAL GRANT AND 
COMMODORE FOOTE PREPARE TO ATTACK IT — COMMENCEMEMT OF THEIR 

OPERATIONS REPULSE OF THE GUNBOATS THE ASSAULT FROM THE 

LAND SIDE INCIDENTS OF THE BOMBARDMENT PROPOSITION OP 

GENERAL BUCKNER TO SURRENDER — THE FLIGHT OF GENERALS FLOYD 
AND PILLOW — THE CAPITULATION OF THE FORT — RESULTS AND TRO- 
PHIES OF THE CONQUEST — SKETCH OF ULYSSES S. GRANT — SKETCH OF 

GENERAL CHARLES FERGUSON SMITH GENERAL LANDER'S ATTACK ON 

THE REBELS AT BLOOMERY GAP ITS RESULTS SKETCH OF GENERAL 

LANDER RE-ELECTION OF JEFFERSON DAVIS AS PRESIDENT OF THE 

SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS OCCUPATION OF 

COLUMBUS, KENTUCKY, BY FEDERAL TROOPS DESERTION OF NASHVILLE 

BY THE REBEL FORCES UNEXPECTED ATTACK AND SUCCESS OF THE 

REBEL BATTERING RAM MERRIMAC INCIDENTS OF THE ENGAGEMENT 

OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL OF THE MONITOR IN HAMPTON ROADS — BATTLE 
BETWEEN THE MONITOR AND THE MERRIMAC, 

The capture of Fort Henry was merely a preliminary 
movement to the attack on Fort Donelson, The latter 
was a Rebel fortification of great importance, situated on 
the Cumberland river, and was one of the keys to the 
possession and control of Tennessee. The works were 
twelve miles distant from Fort Henry, and were much 
larger and stronger than the other, presenting a front of 
nearly four miles. The outer batteries were located on 
ridges several hundred feet high, which were covered 
with a dense undergrowth of timber. The Rebels had 
placed heavy logs on the top of their brestworks, leaving 
a narrow space between, through which they could dis- 
charge their pieces with greater security. Upon several 
of the eminences near the main fort smaller batteries had 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 277 

been erected, one of which mounted five guns. An 
army of thirty thousand men occupied and defended the 
works. A portion of these troops were recent reinforce- 
ments from Bowling Green, which the enemy had 
deserted. The contemplated attack on Fort Donelson 
was to be made both by land and by naval forces. 
General Grant commanded the former, Captain Foote the 
latter. Their united army numbered fifty thousand men. 
The operations of the siege were commenced at three 
o'clock on the afternoon of the 13th of February, 1862, 
by Captain Foote. "With four iron-clad and two wooden 
gunboats, he approached within four hundred yards of 
the works, on the Cumberland river, and commenced a 
vigorous assault. The Rebels responded with energy 
and skill. After fighting an hour and a quarter, two of 
the vessels were disabled, and became so unmanageable, 
the one by the loss of her wheel, the other by the loss of 
her tiller, that they drifted down the stream, and beyond 
the range of their guns. The remaining boats were also 
severely injured, one of them having received fifty-nine 
shots. One of the rifled cannon on board the Carondelet 
burst, killing six men. At length, perceiving the use- 
lessness of continuing the unequal struggle. Captain 
Foote withdrew his flotilla, and the action for that day 
terminated. His loss was nine killed and forty-five 
wounded. He had, however, succeeded in silencing nine 
guns in the lower tier of the enemy's works. On the 
14:th, the attack from the land side began. The forces 
of General Grant were drawn up in line of battle, on a 
range of hills outside of those occupied by the exterior 
batteries of the rebels ; by which means the latter were 
completely encircled, from the Cumberland south of the 
fort, to the waters of a stream which flowed on the north 
side of it. The attack was commenced by a discharge 



278 A HISTORY OF 

of artillery by Captain Tyler, who threw his shells with 
admirable precision into the works of the enemy, at a point 
where they seemed to be thickly crowded together. During 
the 14th, the left wing of the Federal forces was chiefly 
engaged, and before night the upper fort on the enemy's 
right, which was the object of their attack, was taken and 
occupied by the assailants. During this day the Eebels 
succeeded in capturing Schwartz's battery, but before 
the action was suspended b}^ the approach of darkness it 
was retaken. The enemy had accomplished that achieve- 
ment by making a desperate sortie, in which they drove 
the Federals half a mile, and then returned to their 
works with their trophy. Afterward, when the Federals 
rallied, they not only redeemed the lost advantage, but 
also gained possession of a portion of the enemy's works. 
On the following day the engagement was renewed 
with the utmost fury. General Charles F. Smith led the 
attack on the lower end of the entrenchments, and was 
the first to gain a footing within them. General 
McClernand's division, composed of the brigades of 
"Wallace, McArthur, and Ogleby, fought with great 
heroism, and suffered heavily. They chiefly comprised 
the troops from Illinois. The enemy succeeded at one 
time in turning the right wing of the Federal army ; but 
after half an hour, the lost ground was regained. During 
the whole of Saturday, the 15th, the battle raged with 
varied fortunes. It cannot be denied that little general- 
ship was displayed by some of the chief ofl&cers of the 
Federal army ; for during a large part of the engagement, 
the men fought in a great measure under the impulse of 
personal bravery, without any uniform plan of opera- 
tions, and often fired at will. The enemy fought with 
very great advantages, being protected by their extensive 
works, to which, after each renewed repulse, they could 



THE SOUTHERN IlEBELLIOX. 27i) 

retire in comparative safety. From their breastworks 
tLey hurled a deluge of grape* shot and canister against 
their assailants, and many fell from musketry and rifle 
balls. Nevertheless, the Federal troops fought with tlie 
utmost resolution, and repeatedly gained important suc- 
cesses by their heroic exertions. 

When darkness fell oa Saturday evening the issue of 
the conflict seemed undecided. The Eebels still held 
possession of the greater portion of their works, and it 
Avas expected that on the ensuing daj^, the battle would 
be renewed with increased fury. Accordingly, during 
Saturday night a concentration of all the Federal troops 
was made, and ordei-s Avere given that every man should 
be at his post in the early dawn, prepared to charge the 
enemy at the point of the bayonet. This movement was 
to be made simultaneously along the whole line. During 
the hours of night an unusual and mysterious silence 
prevailed throughout the works of the Eebels. When 
at length the morning of Sunday, the 16th, dawned, the 
jQrst sight which greeted the Federal commanders, was a 
number of w^hite flags displayed at various intervals upon 
the fortifications. Soon afterward a flag of truce was 
seen approaching. It accompanied a letter from General 
Buckner, the commander of the Eebel forces, to General 
Grant, proposing that commissioners should be appointed 
to arrange the terms of the capitulation of the Confeder- 
ate forces under his command, and asking for an 
armistice until twelve o'clock. To this communication 
General Grant immediately replied, that no terms what- 
ever could be accepted except an unconditional and 
immediate surrender. At the same time he gave the 
Rebel officer the unwelcome information, that it was his 
intention to renew the attack without delay. This 
missive soon elicited a response from General Buckner, 



280 A HISTORY OF 

in which, after complimenting himself and his troops 
upon the brilliant valor which they had exhibited, he 
added that he should accept the " ungenerous and un- 
chivalrous terms" which had been designated. In a 
short time afterward the Federal troops advanced, 
entered, and took possession of the vast fortifications of 
the vanquished enemy. The stars and stripes were then 
unfurled over Fort Donelson, the largest and strongest 
of the Kebel fortresses in the southwest. 

Then it was that the most singular and startling an- 
nouncements were made to the victors. During the 
previous night Generals Floyd and Pillow had secretly 
made their escape from the entrenchments, having 
embarked with the utmost secresy with about five 
thousand troops on the Eebel steamers which were lying 
in the river. Of the remainder, fifteen thousand became 
prisoners of war ; many had deserted in small bodies ; 
and the dead and wounded were numerous. Among the 
officers captured were General Buckner, Colonels Gnatt, 
Yoorhees, Brown and Abernethy. Twelve thousand 
stand of arms were taken, a vast amount of ammunition 
and stores, fourteen thirty-two pounders, with other guns 
of smaller calibre. Among those who had distinguished 
themselves during the engagement were Generals Wallace, 
McClernand, and Charles F. Smitli. The loss of the 
Eebels during this battle was about five hundred killed, 
and one thousand wounded. The loss on the Federal 
side was tliree hundred and fifty- five killed, fourteen 
hundred wounded and missing. The immense number 
of prisoners taken were transferred as quickly as possible 
to Camp Douglas, near Chicago, and to other suitable 
(Points in the northwest. 

Major General Ulysses S. Grant, who commanded the 
(Federal forces during this memorable combat, was born 



THE SOUTHERX EEBELLION. 281 

in Clairmont county, Ohio, in 1822. He entered West 
Point Academy in 1839, and graduated in 1843, with 
the brevet rank of second lieutenant. He served under 
General Taylor during the Mexican war; also under 
General Scott, during his march from Vera Cruz to the 
capital ; and was twice promoted for his meritorious 
conduct. He afterward became regimental quarter- 
master, and in 1854 had attained the rank of captain in 
the fourth infantry of I'cgulars. Withdrawing then from 
the service into civil life, he removed to St. Louis county, 
Missouri, and thence to Galena. When the Eebellion 
broke forth he tendered his services to Governor Yates, 
was accepted, and appointed colonel of the twenty-first 
regiment of Illinois volunteers. He was soon after pro- 
moted to the rank of brigadier, and took a prominent 
part in many of the earlier scenes of the conflict in 
Missouri. He commanded in the southeastern district 
in that State ; and by his occupation of Paducah, and by 
his gallant conduct in the battle of Belmont, he earned 
the higher rank of major general, to which he was pro- 
moted by President Lincoln, and in which he was con- 
firmed by the Senate. The important conflicts at Forts 
Henry and Donelson added to the lustre of his renown. 

General Charles Ferguson Smith, who distinguished 
himself greatly at Fort Donelson, was born in Pennsylva- 
nia in .1807. He entered the Academy at West Point 
in 1821, and graduated in 1825, with the rank of second 
lieutenant. In 1829 he was appointed an assistant in- 
structor of infantry tactics at West Point. He remained 
at that institution till 1842, during which interval he 
attained tl^e rank of captain. In April, 1847, he was 
brevettcd major for his gallantr}'- in the battles of Palo 
Alto and Eesaca de la Palma. He covered himself with 
laurels in many of the severest conflicts of the Mexican 



282 A HISTORY OF 

war, especially at Contreras and Cherubusco, and re- 
ceived the rank of colonel. In August, 1861, he was 
made a brigadier general of volunteers, and immediately 
afterward took command of the troops stationed at 
Paducah. This valuable officer died at Savannah, Ten- 
nessee, on the 25th of April, 1862. The glorious triumph 
of the Union arms at Fort Donelson was due, in a very 
great measure, to his superior skill and gallantry. 

The long and monotonous inactivity which had char- 
acterized the Army of the Potomac near Washington, 
during some months, was agreeably broken on the 14th 
of February by a bold and sudden movement of a part 
of the troops commanded by General Lander. That 
of&cer having ascertained that the brigade of the Eebel 
General Carson, four thousand in number, had taken a 
strong position at Bloomery Gap, resolved to attack 
them. He ordered the five hundred cavalry attached to 
his brigade to take the advance, and having reached the 
Cacapon river, to construct a bridge for the passage of 
the infantry who were to follow. This order was 
promptly executed. Twenty wagons were placed at 
intervals in the river, over which planks were laid, and 
thus in several hours at night a bridge was constructed 
a hundred and eighty feet in length, which admirably 
answered the purpose of transportation. It was located 
at a point seven miles distant from the Cacapon railroad, 
and about the same distance from Bloomery Gap, the 
contemplated scene of conflict. 

General Lander had intended to make the attack 
during the night, and having driven the enemy through 
the Gap, to pursue them with his cavalry, and capture 
the ofl&oers and many of the men. But the enemy had 
already left their position, either suspicious of an attack 
or forewarned of its approach ; so that when the Federal 



THE SOUTHEKN REBELLION". 283 

troops charged through the Gap they encountered no 
one. General Lander ordered an immediate pursuit on 
the Winchester road by his cavalry, followed and sup- 
ported by the eighth Ohio regiment and the seventh 
Virginia. They overtook the retreating foe about two 
miles from the Gap. The Eebels received them with a 
sharp fire of musketry, under which the cavalry wavered 
and showed unexpected signs of cowardice. In vain 
General Lander ordered them to advance and charge. 
Not a man stirred. The General then exclaimed "follow 
me r' One private only, named John Gannon, answered 
the appeal. Accompanied by this solitary hero, and by 
Major Armstrong his adjutant. Major Bannister, and 
Fitz James O'Brien, members of his staff. General Lander 
rode forward toward a group of Eebel officers, several 
hundred yards distant, and ordered them to surrender. 
The boldness and daring of this movement seemed to 
have paralyzed those officers, and they immediately 
complied. But the Eebel infantry posted in the adja- 
cent woods having commenced a brisk fire, General 
Lander ordered Colonel Anestanzel to attack them with 
his cavalry, and attempt to secure their baggage; while 
the movement was to be su})ported by the infantry. 

At first the cavalry seemed disposed to refuse obedi- 
ence, and General Lander, justly enraged at their 
oowardice, shot at one of his men without hitting him. 
After repeated orders the cavalry advanced, and charged 
upon the enemy, who were then retreating. The pursuit 
was continued for eight miles, under Colonel Carroll's. 
direction, until he reached the limits of General Lander's 
department. The result of this engagement was tlie 
capture of eighteen commissioned officers and forty-five 
non-commissioned officers and privates, together with 
fifteen baggage wagons. The loss of the Eebels was 



284 A HISTORY OF 

thirty killed ; that of the Federals was seven killed and 
wounded. The rout of the enemy was complete, not- 
withstanding the inefficiency of the cavalry. That in- 
efficiency was attributed to the fact, that several of their 
officers were absent, that they had never before been 
under fire, and that they were unaccustomed to practice 
with the sabre. 

General Lander, the hero of this spirited movement, 
was a remarkably brave and chivalrous officer. His 
subsequent premature death was a serious loss to the 
Federal cause. He was a native of Salem, Massachusetts. 
Though not regularly educated to the profession of arms, 
he possessed ample military knowledge, and all the 
qualities necessary to render him a successful com- 
mander. During the years 1859 and 1860 he served as 
superintendent of the overland wagon-road to Califor- 
nia. Immediately after the commencement of the war 
he joined the staff of General McClellan as a volunteer 
in Western Virginia. He afterward became provost 
marshal under that officer. At the battle of Rich Moun- 
tain he distinguished himself by his coolness and intre- 
pidity. His horse was there killed under him. He then 
fought on foot and attacked a Rebel gun. He shot all 
the men who served it with his own hand, except three. 
The remainder then fled, leaving a lieutenant alone to 
work it. That officer continued to discharge the gun, 
when General Lander ordered him to surrender on pain 
of immediate death. He refused and continued to fire. 
Lander then turned away and exclaimed to his men : " I 
cannot shoot so brave a man, you must do it !" He soon 
fell, pierced with four bullets. After the battle and the 
victory General Lander, with chivalrous generosity, 
ordered the body of the deceased officer to be conveyed 
under an escort across the mountain, to a point near 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 200 

which the enemy had encamped, and delivered to his 
late companions in arms. General Lander died on the 
2d of March, 1862, in his camp in Northern Virginia, 
from congestion of the brain. By that event an ampler 
page of heroic history will hencefortli remain forever 
unwritten, which without doubt would have otlierwise 
graced the annals of the war. 

The recent reverses which had overtaken the Eebel 
arms in almost every department of the arena of conflict, 
did not prevent the Confederates from observing the 
ceremony of electing the chief officers of their govern- 
ment, who were to serve during the term of the ensuing 
six years. -Accordingly, the period for which their 
Provisional administration had been erected being about 
to expire, Jefferson Davis was chosen President, and 
A. H. Stephens "Vice-President of the Confederate 
States, by the unanimous votes of the conventions of all 
the States which were connected with the Eebellion. 
The ceremony of the inauguration of these officers took 
place at Eichmond, on the 2 2d of February, with as 
great a display of pomp and dignity as could be mustered 
for the occasion. The oath of office was administered to 
the President by the Hon, J. D. Halyburton, the Chief 
Confederate judge, and to A. H. Stephens by the presi- 
dent of the Eebel Senate. The inaugural address of the 
executive was the most remarkable feature of the occa- 
sion. It had been elaborated with great care, and was 
adroitly adapted to produce a favorable impression upon 
his constituents. But in spite of all his artificial periods 
and his simulated confidence, an air of extreme despon- 
dency pervaded his utterances. He reiterated the effete 
accusation, that the Federal Government had given birtli 
to the Eebellion, by its unjust legislation against the 
interests of the South, lie charged the Northern armies 



286 A HISTORY OF 

Avith cruelty and ferocity in the manner in whicli they 
had conducted the contest. He dwelt upon the love of 
justice and the preference for peace which had charac- 
terized the Confederate States, and upon their efforts to 
avert the horrors of war by an amicable settlement of diffi- 
culties at Washington. He congratulated his constituents 
on the intrepidity and heroism with which they had thus 
far defended their sacred rights, and had resisted the 
arms of their oppressors. He admitted that the Con- 
federate forces had recently suffered the most serious 
disasters ; but he affirmed that the effect of these misfor- 
tunes would simply be, to unite them in a more deter- 
mined and unconquerable resolution to achieve their 
liberties. As a chief encouragement he reminded his 
hearers, that the vast pecuniary burdens which the 
Federal Government was assuming, would soon crush it 
to the earth, and render it incapable of further efficient 
assaults upon their rights and their territories.* 

While the Rebel authorities were thus consoling 
themselves by cheering prognostications of the future, 
the rapid progress of events continually and repeatedly 
falsified their hopes. On the 1st of March the right 
wing of the Army of the Potomac under General Banks 
crossed the river, advanced into Virginia, and occupied 
Bolivar, Charlestown, and Martinsburg. This important 
movement was a portion of the great network of opera- 

* The officers of the cabinet appointed by JeflFerson Davis were 
as follows : 

J. P. Benjamin, of Louisiana, Secretary of State. 

General George W. Randolph, of Virginia, Secretary of War. 

S. R Mallory, Secretary of the Navy. 

C. G. Memminger, of South Carolina, Secretary of the Treasury. 

Mr. Henry, M. C. from Kentucky, Postmaster General. 

Herschel V. Johnson, of Georgia, Attorney-General. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 287 

ticras, by wbich the Federal armies, in several vast 
bodies, were intended to approach Eichmond by oppo- 
site routes, and thus attack it and its defenders simulta- 
neousl3^ At Charlestown eight hundred barrels of flour 
prepared for the Kebel army were captured. The corps 
under Banks were steadily approaching Winchester, 
where the enemy were posted under Jackson in con- 
siderable strength. 

In other portions of the Union fortune seemed to have 
deserted the Confederate cause still more unequivocally. 
In Missouri the expedition which had been organized 
under Jefferson Thompson, -was attacked at Sykestown 
by the Union cavalry attached to the brigades of Gene- 
rals Hamilton, Morgan and Pope, and -were driven into 
the swamps with the loss of six pieces of artillery, and 
forty prisoners. On the 2d of March a flotilla consisting 
of six gunboats, under the command of Flag Officer 
Foote, sailed down the Mississippi river to Columbus, 
Kentucky, and made a demonstration against the Eebel 
works which had been erected there. Anticipating a 
formidable attack from the Federal forces, the enemy 
deemed it more judicious to retire. They therefore 
abandoned their fortifications, and evacuated the town. 
It had been the strongest Eebel position in the valley of 
the Mississippi. But before their flight they endeavored 
to destroy their barracks, the town, and their magazines 
by fire. They sank a number of their heaviest guns in 
the river. The Federal forces took possession peaceably, 
of what remained of the recent stronghold of the fugi- 
tives. The occupation of Columbus delivered the State 
of Kentucky from the presence and supremacy of the 
Eebel arms. Generals Cullum and Sherman commanded 
the land forces which were intended to cooperate with 



288 A HISTORY OF 

the gunboats, in the expected attack on the abandoned 
works. 

Nearly cotemporaneous with this event, was the de- 
sertion of Nashville by the Eebel forces which had been 
assembled there, and its occupation by the Federal 
troops under General Buell. The stars and stripes were 
again unfurled from the stately dome of the capitol of 
Tennessee. The presence of tlie Union troops in this 
city, produced a magical effect upon the opinions of 
thousands of the inhabitants of that State, who immedi- 
ately declared themselves in favor of the Federal Govern- 
ment, and solicitous for its eventual triumph. It was 
already proposed that Andrew Johnson should be 
appointed by President Lincoln the Military Provisional 
Governor of Tennessee, until the legitimate civil authori- 
ties could be reestablished. Thus, over the entire area 
of the West and South, wherever the rival republics 
came into collision, success at this period uniformly 
attended the champions of the Federal Union. 

Suddenly the nation was astounded by the report of a 
reverse from an unexpected source, of the most novel 
and unusual character. On the 8th of March a steam 
vessel of singular structure and appearance was observed 
by the lookout at Fortress Monroe, to issue from the 
harbor at Norfolk, and sail down the channel toward 
Sewell's Point. Signal guns were immediately fired to 
notify the Union vessels, the Cumberland, the Congress, 
the Minnesota, the St. Lawrence, and the Roanoke — 
which were then riding at anchor in Hampton Roads — 
of the approach of danger. The mysterious craft seemed 
like a floating house, with its roof and chimney only 
above the water. Slowly but steadily she pursued her 
way through the channel toward Newport News, and 
then turned toward the mouth of James river, where the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 289 

Cumberland and the Congress lay. Soon her fatal 
character and mission became evident. She was recog- 
nized as the famous iron-clad steamer and battering ram 
Merrimac, which the Ecbel Government had for some 
time been constructing at Norfolk, 

As this dangerous monster silently approached the 
Cumberland, that vessel discharged a volley from her 
heavy guns at the stranger. The balls indeed reached 
their aim, but they did not produce the slightest 
perceptible effect. They glanced from her iron sides 
and deck, leaving no trace of their contact. The Con- 
gress also added the complement of her artillery to those 
of the Cumberland, but with an equally harmless result. 
The Rebel craft seemed to defy and scorn their attacks ; 
for she continued steadily to approach, her ports all silent 
and shut, but under the impetus of a powerful head of 
steam. At length she steered with direct aim and 
increased velocity toward the Cumberland. She struck 
her amidships with her iron beak, making a frightful 
gash in her side. She then fired a volley into the 
wounded vessel, drew off a short distance, and repeated 
the ferocious assault. It was enough to seal her fate. 
The Cumberland had been fatally disabled, and was 
instantly in a sinking condition. During the progress 
of this attack, two Kebel steamers, the Yorktown and 
Jamestown, had descended the James river and engaged 
the Union vessels on the other side. 

The Merrimac having thus destroyed the Cumberland, 
turned her prow and addressed herself to the Congress. 
This vessel was unable to make any effective resistance, 
her crew having been discharged the day before, and 
several companies of the naval brigade being only 
temf)orarily on board. When her commander saw the 
hopelessness of resistance, the wooden vessels being 
19 



290 A HISTORY OF 

entirely at the mercj of the iron batterer, he struck his 
colors to avoid the destruction which had overtaken the 
Cumberland, The Jamestown then approached, received 
on board the officers of the Congress as prisoners, and 
gave the crew an opportunity to escape in the boats. 
The vessel was then fired by the Rebels. Immediately 
after this achievement, the Merrimac, the Yorktown, and 
the Jamestown commenced an attack in concert on the 
batteries of Newport News, to which that fort responded 
with vigor. Meanwhile the Congress burned to the 
water's edge, and before sinking blew up. The Cumber- 
land also sank. The loss of life in both ships was con- 
siderable, inasmuch as a large number of the crews of 
both were unable to escape in the boats. The Merrimac 
having completed her- intended achievements, returned 
in triumph to Norfolk, capturing in her passage several 
small vessels. This sudden demonstration of naval power 
was one of the most noteworthy incidents which had yet 
occurred during the war. Never before had the efficiency 
of iron-clad steam batteries been so clearly demonstrated. 
It was now evident that the colossal wooden vessels 
which had for ages been the pride and the terror of 
[European fleets, could be henceforth rendered harmless 
by the use of ships of much smaller proportions if incased 
in iron, if propelled by steam, and if armed with the sharp 
iron beaks, which had been familiar to the naval archi- 
tecture of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Fortunately 
for the honor and safetj'' of the Union cause, the private 
enterprise of an eminent and opulent citizen had con- 
structed a vessel on the same principle ; and that vessel, 
by an equally propitious accident, arrived in the vicinity 
of this disaster a few hours after its occurrance. The 
Ericsson iron-clad steamer Monitor reached Fortress 
Monroe at nine o'clock on the night of the 8th of March. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 291 

The next morning she proceeded out into the channel 
and invited the exulting enemy to an engagement. The 
offer was accepted, and soon the Merrimac, the Yorktown, 
and the Jamestown attempted to renew the triumph of 
tlie preceding day. A desperate combat of five hours 
duration ensued. The wooden vessels of the Rebels 
quickly found it expedient to retire, leaving the two iron 
bound monsters confronting each other. Then a most 
singular and novel spectacle was exhibited. During 
several hours the vessels fought fiercely, butting and 
grappling each other. They repeatedly discharged their 
heavy guns against each other's sides; but while the 
shot of the Merrimac rebounded harmlessly from the 
impenetrable covering of her antagonist, the greater 
calibre of the guns of the Monitor forced their thunder- 
bolts through the sides of the Eebel craft, and severely 
damaged her. The Monitor was commanded with great 
skill and fortitude by Lieutenant J. S. Worden, who was 
wounded during the engagement. At its termination 
the Merrimac was towed back to the port of Norfolk, 
apparently disabled, and evidently with much less exul- 
tation than had characterized her return to her berth on 
the preceding day. The presence of the Monitor in 
Hampton Roads secured the Union vessels, which were 
enforcing the blockade of James river, from the future 
attacks of the Merrimac ; and fortunately withered the 
laurels which had so suddenly sprung up, to decorate 
the brows of the Confederate naval heroes. 

The Merrimac, whose sudden onslaught on the Federal 
ships excited so much surprise and indignation, originally 
belonged to the Federal Government, had been built i^ 
1855 at the Charlestown navy yard, and was known in the 
Federal navy by the same name. She happened to be 
lying in the port of Norfolk, as a store and receiving 



292 A HISTORY OF 

ship, at the period of the Rebel attack on that city. 
When the navy yard at Norfolk was abandoned and 
sacrificed in so mysterious a manner by Commodore 
McCaulley, the Merrimac was set on fire, scuttled, and 
sunk by his orders. She was thirty-two hundred tons 
burden, and pierced for forty guns. The rebel authorities, 
appreciating her value, subsequently raised the hull, and 
proceeded to convert her into an iron-clad battery. She 
was covered with a bomb-proof coating of wrought iron, 
several inches in thickness. Her bow was armed with a 
steel beak, projecting six feet under the water, with which 
to strike and perforate her opponents. Her decks were 
protected by a covering of railroad iron in the form of 
an arch, from which the shot and shell of her assailants 
necessarily glanced without effect. Her special mission 
was intended to be to sink the various vessels engaged in 
the blockade of the Southern ports ; and it is probable that, 
had not the formidable and unexpected apparition of the 
Monitor suddenly intercepted her purpose, it would have 
been in a great measure accomplished, before any other 
effectual means to prevent it could have been obtained* 
by the Federal Government. 

The structure of the Monitor was essentially different 
from that of her rival. She was a hundred and seventy- 
two feet in length, and placed so low in the water as to 
afford little surface for the assaults of an assailant. Her 
deck was flat, and her sides encased in heavy armor. 
Both ends of the vessel were pointed, and she required 
very little water in which to float. The chief objects 
which appeared on her deck were a smoke stack and a 
turret. The latter was encased in wrought iron, several 
inches in thickness, and contained two guns, each ball of 
which weighed a hundred and eighty-four pounds. 
"Within the bowels of the vessel a powerful engine was 



THE SOUTHERN- REBELLION. 293 

placed, wTiicTi drove her with resistless impetus against 
her enemy. Her flat deck was bomb-proof, and covered 
with iron plate an inch in thickness. The turret revolved, 
so as to be able to bring its tremendous guns to bear at 
any angle which might be desired. The vessel was a 
marvel of architectural skill, and of mechanical power, 
such as the present age had never before witnessed. 



294 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE IN ARKANSAS — GENERAL CURTIS — ATTACK OF TUB 

REBELS ON THE REAR OF THE FEDERAL ARMY GALLANTRY OF GENERAL 

SIGEL CONTINUANCE OF THE BATTLE ON THE SECOND DAY INCIDENTS 

OF THE CONTEST — IT IS RENEWED UPON THE THIRD DAY — COMPLETE 
ROUT OP THE REBELS — RESULTS OF THE VICTORY — SKETCHES OP 
GENERALS CURTIS AND SIGEL — PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S ORDERS TO THE 

FEDERAL ARMIES TO MOVE ON THE TWENTY-SECOND OF FEBRUARY 

GENERAL MCCLELLAn'S ADDRESS TO THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC 

SUDDEN EVACUATION OF MANASSAS BY THE REBELS — MOVEMENT OF 

FEDERAL TROOPS BOMBARDMENT OF ISLAND NUMBER TEN — INCIDENTS 

OF THE CONTEST — REDUCTION OF THE REBEL WORKS — OPERATIONS OF 

GENERAL POPE — ARTIFCIAL CHANNEL CUT THROUGH JAMES BAYOU 

GENERAL POPE ATTACKS THE REBELS AT TIPTONVILLE CONSEQUENCES 

OF THE CAPTURE OF ISLAND NUMBER TEN SKETCH OF GENERAL POPE 

— GENERAL BURNSIDE ATTACKS NEWBERN — THE REBELS SURRENDER — 
CONSEQUENCES OF THIS VICTORY. 

The unromantic name of Pea Eidge will liereaffcer 
designate, on the historic page, one of the most protracted 
and desperate struggles which occurred during the pro- 
gress of the war against Secession. This rugged spot is 
situated amid the mountain wilds of Arkansas. It was 
there that the Rebel Generals Yan Dorn, McCulloch, and 
Price had concentrated the forces under their several 
orders ; and on the 6th, the 7th, and the 8th of March, 
1862, contested the palm of victory with the Federal 
troops under the command of Generals Curtis and Sigel. 
The forces of the enemy numbered about thirty-five 
thousand men ; their opponents numbered twenty -five 
thousand. The latter consisted of volunteers from Ohio, 
Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. This engagement 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 295 

commenced on the 6tli of March by an attack of the 
Kebel cavalry on the rear of the Union army. The 
purpose of this movement seemed to be to get possession 
of the wagon-trains of the Federals. General Sigel being 
in command of that portion of the troops, resisted the 
enemy with great gallantry. He protected the train 
during several hours with eight hundred men, against an 
attack of fifteen hundred. The first day of the conflict 
wore away in various unsuccessful efforts on the part of 
the Kebels to get possession of the trains, by breaking 
and dispersing the right wing of the Federals. At 
eleven o'clock on the morning of the 7th, the enemy 
renewed the attack. During the preceding night General 
Curtis had made important changes in the disposition of 
his troops, and had strengthened those portions of his 
line against which he anticipated the most vigorous 
assaults. The centre of the Rebels was led in person by 
the notorious Benjamin McCulloch, who made prodigious 
exertions to overpower the firm and steady ranks of the 
Federals, commanded by Colonel Davis of Missouri. 
Repeatedly did that renowned warrior bring up his men 
to the attack, and as often were they with heavy slaughter 
repulsed. Once only did his troops obtain an advantage 
by driving back the Federals from "Cross Timber 
Hollow," which had been occupied by Colonel Carr. 
But he paid dearly for this temporary success. His 
columns were assailed with renewed determination, by a 
combined attack of the troops under Colonel Osterhaus, 
Colonel Davis, and General Sigel, and were discomfited 
with immense loss. It was during this struggle that 
General McCulloch was slain. He fell while fighting in 
the thickest of the ccmnbat. 

At the end of the second day's engagement, the ad- 
vantage greatly preponderated in favor of the Federals. 



296 A HISTORY OF 

During the following night General Curtis made addi- 
tional changes in the position of his forces, and when the 
morning of the 8th dawned he was prepared to receive 
the renewed attack of the enemy. The combatants on 
both sides seemed eager for the struggle, and the firing 
began at sunrise. It soon became general along the 
whole line, which extended several miles in circuit. The 
Federal left wing^ under Sio;el made a forward movement 
against the enemy posted on the hills. General Curtis 
then ordered his centre and right also to advance, 
and turning the left wing of the enemy, to assail his 
centre. This order was admirably executed, and the 
Rebels were placed by this skillful strategy in the arc of 
a circle of destructive firing. The situation of affairs 
having thus been brought into a propitious state, General 
Curtis commanded a general charge to be made with the 
bayonet. The result was decisive. The Rebels were 
instantly thrown into confusion, and fled precipitately on 
all sides. The division under Price retreated in one 
direction, that under Van Dorn escaped in another. The 
pursuit was continued by General Sigel toward Keiths- 
ville, and by the cavalry toward the mountains. The 
rout of the enemy was complete. Their loss was heavy. 
The death of McCulloch was a fatal blow to their cause 
in the remoter southwest, where his reckless bravery and 
his military skill had long inspired them with energy 
and hope. Their killed and wounded were about two 
thousand. The victors captured more than a thousand 
prisoners. The Federal loss was about five hundred 
killed, nine hundred wounded. A peculiar feature of 
this engagement was the presence of several thousand 
Indians in the Rebel lines, commanded by Albert Pike. 
Their savage instincts during the conflict were demon- 
strated by the fact, that after its termination, many of 



THE SOCTtlfiRN REBELLION, 297 

the wounded and slain of the Federal troops were found 
to have been scalped ; thus renewing in those wild 
western solitudes at the present day, the primeval scenes 
of sanguinary slaughter, which had characterized and 
disgraced the earlier struggles which occurred on the 
American Continent. 

The chief heroes of this great battle were Generals 
Samuel R. Curtis and Franz Sigel. The former was born 
in Ohio in 1808. He entered West Point in 1827, and 
in 1831 was breveted second lieutenant of the seventh 
infantry. He afterward devoted himself more particu- 
larly to civil engineering, and in 1837 became chief 
engineer of the Muskingum river improvements. At a 
later period he became engineer of the Board of Public 
Works of the State of Ohio. In 1846 he was appointed 
Adjutant General of that State. During the Mexican 
war lie served as colonel of the third Ohio regiment; 
became assistant adjutant general to General Wool, and 
subsequently civil and military governor of Saltillo, 
Matamoras, Camargo, and Monterey. Eeturning to the 
United States, he commenced or resumed the practice of 
the law ; but abandoned it upon being chosen chief 
engineer of the Des Moiries railroad in Iowa. lie was 
afterward elected a representative of Iowa in the Thirty- 
Fifih Congress ; and was several times rechosen. When 
the Rebellion broke forth Colonel Curtis raised a reo^i- 
ment in Iowa, of which he took the chief command. He 
resigned his seat in Congress, and having been made a 
brigadier general, assisted General Fremont in ^lissouri. 
In January, 1862, he left Rolla with twenty thousand 
men, drove Sterling Price from Springfield, routed him 
at Cross Hollow, and crowned his victorious career by 
his splendid victory at Pea Ridge. In reward for his 
valuable and gallant services, he was afterward promoted 



298 A HISTORY OF 

to the rank of major general. The events of this war, 
which elicited the superior abilities of so many able 
commanders, have called forth the energies and services 
of few men more worthy of renown than General Curtis. 
A far different kind of interest appertains to the history 
of Franz Sigel. He was nursed in the revolutionary 
storms of the old world ; and when triumphant despots 
there succeeded in arresting the spirit of liberty, he 
emigrated to the home of the free in the far West. He 
was born in Baden in the year 1824, and received his 
education at the military school at Carlsruhe. His rise 
in his profession was rapid. In 1847 he had attained 
the rank of chief adjutant ; and was regarded as one of 
the most accomplished officers of artillery in Germany. 
In 1848 the revolutionary movements commenced in 
that country, and his enthusiastic spirit soon enlisted him 
in the service of those who sought to disenthrall the 
German Fatherland from the dominion of its hereditary 
tyrants. He was appointed to the chief command of one 
of the armies of the Liberals, and in several engagements 
distinguished himself by gallantry and skill. On one 
occasion he confronted eighty thousand men with thirty 
thousand ; and though a victory against such immense 
odds was impossible, he made good his retreat without 
the loss of men or guns. The conclusion of the war 
and the subjugation of the patriots compelled him to flee. 
After various changes and vicissitudes he was chosen 
professor in a college at St. Louis, in which, among other 
departments of science, he gave instruction in the mili- 
tary art. When the Southern Eebellion began, it was 
the signal for Sigel to abandon the peaceful pursuits of 
academic life, and reenter the stormy arena of conflict. 
Such a man as Sigel, in such a time, and in such a cause, 
could not possibly remain inactive. He took the lead 



' THE SOUTHEEN BEBELLION". 299 

among the gallant Germans of Missouri who tendered 
their services to the Federal Government. He assumed 
the command of the third regiment of volunteers Avhich 
was raised at St. Louis. We have already narrated the 
chief events of his career subsequent to this period. 
After the death of General Lyon at Springfield, he con- 
ducted the retreat to Eolla with great ability. The dis- 
tinguished part which he enacted at the battle of Pea 
Ridge, elevated him to a high place among the most 
eminent and efficient of the generals of the Union 
during the civil war. His services were properly 
rewarded, at a subsequent period, by his promotion to 
the rank of major general. 

On the 12th of March, 18G2, the nation was suddenly 
surprised and gratified by the announcement, that at 
length President Lincoln had issued positive orders that 
the Federal armies, including that of the Potomac which 
had for so many months remained inactive, should 
commence a general advance against the forces of the 
Kebels. This order, although not published until the 
12th of March, had been issued privately to the various 
commanders on the 27th of January previous ; and the 
22d of February, the annivei'sary of the birth-day of the 
Father of his Country, was designated as the day on 
which that welcome movement should begin. Time, 
however, was allowed to the commander of the Army of 
the Potomac, to complete the necessary organization of 
his troops before moving, if such further organizati(Mi 
should be requisite. 

Several days after the public announcement of this 
order, General McClellan issued an address to his army, 
in which he stated that the time of inaction havini' 

O 

passed by, the hour of aggressive operations had arrived 
and that the accurate drilliuf? and training which were 



300 A HISTORY OF 

essential to the efficiency of any array Lad now been 
attained. He urged them to display bravery, fidelity, 
and endurance in the operations which were before them ; 
and encouraged them by the prospects of victory, subse- 
quent peace, and the restoration of the Union, In ac- 
cordance with the promise contained in this address, a 
portion of the army of the Potomac began to advance. 
They took the route toward Centreville and Manassas, 
which had already been rendered famous by the engage- 
ment at Bull's Eun. During some days previous to the 
march vague reports had been current throughout the 
country, that the Eebel armj^ which had wintered on the 
Potomac, had retreated toward Gordonville; and that 
the battle-ground which they had fortified with so much 
labor and skill, was no longer defended by them against 
the advance of the Federal forces. To the astonishment 
of the whole nation, these reports, which at first seemed 
incredible, were found upon examination to be perfectly 
true. The great Rebel army had actually vacated their 
position at Manassas, and were retreating southward as 
the Federal troops advanced. Their object was now 
supposed to be, to concentrate their strength nearer to 
Richmond ; and it must be admitted that, by this move- 
ment they gained some important strategical advantages. 
The fortifications which they had thus abandoned were 
formidable. They extended from a point half a mile 
north of Centreville, toward the south as far as the eye 
could reach. The embrasures had been mounted by 
heavy guns, which were withdrawn in the retreat. 
There were ample indications that the ammunition and 
the stores of the Rebel army had been abundant. Yast 
warehouses had been erected at Manassas for the storage 
of provisions, and miles of well-constructed huts de- 
monstrated, that during the winter the comfort and 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 301 

health of their forces had been carefully attended to. 
After their retrograde movement, it did not comport 
with the plans of the Federal commanders to pursue the 
line of advance farther in that direction; and the troops 
returned toward Washington, to continue their operations 
against the enemy by another and a more circuitous 
route. That portion of the Federal army which was led 
by General Banks, proceeded toward Harper's Ferry, 
and took possession of Leesburg. This corps was 
destined to pursue the retreating enemy toward Win- 
ciiester, where it was understood they had taken a strong 
position which they defended with a formidable force. 

The admirable plan for the subjugation of the south- 
western portion of the Eebel States which General 
Halleck had elaborated, required that the Mississippi 
river should be opened to the advance of the Federal 
armies, and that the road to Memphis should be unob- 
structed. To resist this suspected purpose, the Rebels 
had taken possession of an island in that river known as 
Number Ten, had collected together there an army of 
fifteen thousand men, had fortified it with great skill and 
industry, and had thus far effectually intercepted the 
navigation of the river. This island is situated in a bend 
of the stream, which touches the territory of Tennessee, 
and is located two hundred and forty milas from St. Louis, 
nine hundred and fifty from New Orleans. The Rebel 
fortifications mounted forty guns of heavy calibre. They 
possessed also a river force of five gunboats and a float- 
ing battery. It had now become essentially necessary to 
the interests of the Federal cause that this stronsrhold 
should be attacked and taken. 

The Federal fleet of gunboats and mortar flats destined 
for this service, was placed under the command of Com- 
modore Foote. On the 15th of March the gunboats 



802 A HISTORY OP 

Beaton, Louisville, Cincinnati, Carondelet, and Conestoga 
proceeded from Cairo. At Columbus they were joined 
by the Pittsburg, St. Louis, and Mound City, together 
with eight mortar flats, with transports and ordnance 
boats. All these vessels sailed down the river, reached 
the scene of conflict on the same day, and took their 
positions about two miles above the island. Commodore 
Foote immediately commenced the bombardment with 
three of his batteries. General Pope, who was besieging 
New Madrid, ten miles below the Island, and who had 
erected works extending fifteen miles along the shore, as 
far as Point Pleasant, commanded the river below, so as to 
prevent the escape of the Eebels in that direction. Vain 
attempts had been made to send transports through the 
Bayous to the assistance of General Pope ; but a gunboat 
was indispensably necessary to protect those vessels 
during their transit. At length the Carondelet was 
selected to pass the Eebel batteries and to perform that 
service. On her port side a flat boat was lashed, loaded 
with bales of compressed hay, which protected her from 
the works erected on the Kentucky shore. On her 
opposite side a barge laden with coal was attached, 
which would furnish the necessary fuel. At ten o'clock 
at night she was cast loose and commenced to sail slowly 
down the stream. At that moment a storm of terrific 
fury came raging up the river ; the rain descended in a 
deluge; the thunder peals were appalling; the lightning 
was fearfully vivid and blinding. In the midst of this 
chaos of the warring elements, the Carondelet began to 
run the gauntlet of the Rebel batteries. As she passed 
the second of these, a broad and fierce blaze of flame, 
accompanied by a deafening roar, indicated to thousands 
of anxious spectators in the vicinity that the Rebels had 
at length observed the vessel in the darkness, and had 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 303 

opened on her. Still she proceeded in silence on her way. 
Battery after battery saluted her as she passed. Slowly 
and steadily she steamed ahead, and made no response 
to her assailants. In twenty minutes she passed all the 
batteries unharmed and untouched. Forty-seven shots 
had been vainly fired at her. Then her powerful guns 
answered in an exultant peal, which told that she had 
attained a point beyond the reach of danger. Myriads 
of patriots on the Federal gunboats, and on the shore, set 
up a tumultuous shout of joy, which drowned even the loud 
bowlings of the tempest. The Carondelet then proceeded 
to New Madrid, to the assistance of General Pope, who 
soon after made his approaches with such skill and vigor 
that the Eebels, rather than endure the horrors of an 
assault, evacuated the place on the 14th of March. Gene- 
ral Pope then took possession of it, and obtained a vast 
amount of stores, ammunition and guns. 

It was soon ascertained that the Rebels had erected a 
large number of batteries, both on the Kentucky and the 
Tennessee banks of the Mississippi, for the purpose of 
assisting the operations of their confederates on Island 
Number Ten. Their river boats were also found to be 
efficient, and assailed the batteries of Commodore Foote 
with great spirit. But the power and effect of the 
Federal mortars far transcended those of the enemy. 
The shells which were discharged by the former were of 
immense size, and being sent with remarkable precision 
into the works of the Rebels, produced the most disastrous 
results. A single mortar was capable of discharging in 
a single day about a hundred shells. The Rebels did not 
respond to the attack on the island until the evening of 
the 16th, when they opened their defence by firing a 
hundred and twenty pound rifled shell in the direction 
of the transports. This enormous missile fell and burst 



804 A HISTORY OF 

a few yards astern of the Graliam and the Silver Wave, 
which were crowded with troops ; and had the aim of the 
Eebels been more accurate, they might have produced 
dreadful havoc. A portion of the Federal artillery was 
placed on the Missouri shore, in such a position as to be 
within range of those batteries on the island, which were 
beyond the reach of the guns of the fleet. On the 17th, 
Commodore Foote tried an experiment which proved 
successful, lie ordered three gunboats, the Benton, the 
Cincinnati, and the St. Louis, to be lashed together, and 
while the mortars continued to play upon the works of 
the enemy, they slowly sailed down the river for the 
purpose of reconnoitering the batteries of the Eebels and 
drawing their fire from those Works which might not yet 
liave been observed. The result was that three batteries, 
located lower down on the island, commenced to fire, and 
with such accuracy that each of the three boats was 
struck during the excursion. One shot passed through 
the upper deck of the Cincinnati, another through the 
chimney of the Benton, and one of the guns on the 
St. Louis burst, killing four men and wounding ten. But 
the purpose of the adventure had been successfully 
accomplished. 

The bombardment of the island continued from day to 
day, and the Federal vessels retained their original 
position. The firing was kept up with variable spirit on 
the part of the Rebels, and with such assiduity on the 
the part of their assailants, as to prevent the enemy from 
strengthening or repairing their fortifications. These 
became considerably damaged by the Federal guns ; but 
the effect of their fire on the Federal boats was unim- 
portant. Thus, during the operations of an entire day 
only four shots of all those discharged by the forts on 
the island struck any of the vessels. On the 18th, six 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 305 

additional mortar batteries came from Cairo and joined 
the besieging force. Sometimes the scene presented by 
the bombardment was one of great beauty and sublimity, 
especially when the firing was continued during the 
night. At such times the loud reverberation of the guns, 
waking up the unfamiliar echoes of the surrounding 
shores, the graceful passage of the shells in their parabolic 
course through the heavens, the sudden flashes of their 
explosion, illumining the darkness for miles around, the 
returning shells of the Eebels, issuing from the fortifica- 
tions erected at different points on the island, their 
explosion above or near the tranquil bosom of the broad 
stream, the shouts of the combatants, and the calm 
intervals of silence, soon to be broken by the thunder 
tones of new and fresh discharges ; these and many 
other incidents of the spectacle rendered it one of novel 
and impressive interest. 

During a portion of the time occupied by the bombard- 
ment, the Federal fleet did not put forth its entire 
strength, and the firing was occasionally suspended. 
This enigma then seemed unaccountable to the enemy, 
but at a later period it was- sufficiently explained. The 
design of this mysterious but masterly inactivity was to 
occup}'^ the attention of the Rebels, and retain all those 
troops which they had collected on the island in that 
position, that they might not interfere with the other 
operations of the besiegers, and with the plans of General 
Pope. During this interval, the enemy were permitted 
to strengthen their works, and thus they served the 
purposes of the Federals by protracting the bombard- 
ment. Meanwhile General Pope was strengthening 
his position, and rendering the ultimate escape of the 
enemy down the Mississi])pi still more impracticable, 
by erecting an additional battery on the Missouri 
20 



306 A HISTORY OF 

shore, two miles beloAV Tiptonville. One of the first 
achievements of that battery was to sinlv a transport, 
filled with stores for the enemy, which was proceeding 
from the Kentucky shore to the head of the island. On 
the 29th Commodore Foote renewed the bombardment 
with vigor. The rebels replied with equal spirit, and 
from new points which they had recently fortified. At 
this period the cutting of a channel for the passage of 
large boats through the James Bayou, a swampy peninsula, 
formed by a bend in the river, was commenced. The 
purpose of this novel and extremely difficult enterprise 
was to enable General Pope to convey troops over to the 
Tennessee side ; and by that means, in conjunction with 
the Union forces which were approaching the scene of 
conflict from that direction, to surround the enemy more 
completely. This extraordinary work was accomplished 
by sawing off the heavy timber which encumbered the 
BayoU; beneath the surface of the water, for a distance 
of ten miles. Few more remarkable instances of perse- 
verance and determination can be found than this 
enterprise, in the annals of modern warfare. At length, 
on the 7th of April, General Pope transferred a portion 
■of his army through this new channel to the shore of 
Tennessee. Four steamers were used for the conveyance 
of these troops. Tlie remainder of his army was trans- 
ported by the same route afterward. 

This channel was created by Colonel Bissel and his 
regiment of engineers. Their work deserved to be 
placed among those great masterpieces of mechanical 
skill, of which the Simplon across the Alps — one of the 
proudest products of Napoleon's genius — is considered as 
the most colossal. On the 6th of April General Pope 
ordered Captain Walker to make a reconnoissance in the 
■Carondelet to Tiptonville, for the purpose of drawing 



THE SOUTHERiSr REBELLION. 307' 

the fire of tlie concealed batteries wbicb the Eebels had 
there erected. The exploration was successful, tjie 
position of the guns was ascertained, and they were 
immediately attacked and silenced. The troops on board, 
consisting of the twenty-seventh Illinois regiment, then 
landed, spiked the guns, broke the carriages, and threw 
the ammunition into the river. 

On the 7th General Pope, with a portion of his troops, 
marched to Tiptonville, and attacked the Rebel troops 
which were posted at that point. The latter were com- 
pletely routed, and fled into the surrounding swamps. 
The Federals captured a large number of prisoners, 
together with cannon and ammunition. This disaster, 
combined with the knowledge of the construction of the 
channel through the James Bayou, and the renewed vigor 
of the attack of the Union fleet on their works on the 
island, disheartened the Rebels who were posted there, 
and induced them to surrender their stronghold. This 
protracted drama came to a sudden close on the 7th of 
March. At nine o'clock in the evening, a messenger was 
sent by the Rebel commander to Commodore Foote, 
proposing to capitulate, and inquiring what terms might 
be expected. The commodore replied, that no terms 
whatever would be allowed, except an unconditional 
surrender. At one o'clock on the morning of the 8th, 
the surrender was formally made. Commodore Foote 
immediately sent Colonel Buford with two gunboats to 
take possession of the island. Ilad the enemy not yielded 
at that precise period, a simultaneous attack on the island 
would have been made at once, by the mortar boats, the 
gunboats, and the land forces under General Pope. The 
result of this combined movement could not have been 
doubtful ; but the voluntary surrender of the Rebel com- 



308 A HISTORY OF 

rnander opportunely averted the heavy sacrificeof human 
life which it would necessarily have involved. 

The consequences of the capture of this island were 
very important. The number of batteries which passed 
into the possession of the Federalists was eleven, mount- 
ing seventy heavy guns. A floating battery of sixteen 
lighter cannon, which the Eebels had cut adrift, was 
afterward recovered. A vast quantity of munitions of 
of war, four steamers, and several gunboats were also 
taken. The number of prisoners captured was seventeen 
ofl&cers, three hundred and sixty-eight privates, beside 
several hundred sick and wounded. The defence of the 
island had been conducted by the Eebel General William 
D. Makall, who became a prisoner of war. As soon as 
the surrender of the works became known, the Con- 
federate troops stationed on the Tennessee shore retreated 
with precipitation. This great victory, as might reasonably 
be expected, filled the nation with rejoicing; and they 
approved with sincerity the message which was im- 
mediately afterward sent to the victors by the Secretary 
of the Navy, expressive of the public gratitude for their 
services, and exultation at their success. 

Major General John Pope, who divided with Com- 
modore Foote the chief glory attendant upon this con- 
quest, was born in Kentucky in 1821. He entered 
West Point Academy in 1838, and graduted in 1842. 
He then received the brevet rank of second lieutenant of 
topographical engineers. He distinguished himself by 
his gallantry during the Mexican war, especially at tlie 
battles of Monterey and Buena Vista. In July, 1856, he 
obtained the rank of captain for his heroism in the latter 
engagement. In May, 1861, he was made a brigadier 
general of volunteers. Though younger than many of 
his associate officers of similar rank in the army. General 




'f w- -- ■*^^-kj''SV''*%^'^ 






IP 




1 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



309 



Pope was inferior to few of tliem in energy, ability, and 
professional skill. His achievements at New Madrid and 
at Island Number Ten, especially bis bold and original 
conception of cutting a channel through swampy Bayou 
near that island, and the success which attended his 
persevering efforts, deserve to hold a prominent place, 
and to be invested with no secondary interest, among 
the many thrilling and noteworthy events which, in all 
comins: time, will enliven and decorate the annals of the 
civil war in the United States. 

After the conquest of Eoanoke Island by General 
Burnside, that ofl&cer prepared to extend his operations ; 
and on the 10th of March sailed southward through 
Pamlico Sound, for the purpose of assailing the Eebel 
fortifications which had been erected at Newbern. This 
place is situated at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent 
rivers, about a hundred and fifty miles from Roanoke 
Island. It was a port of entrj^ for North Carolina, and 
the capital of Craven county. Its capture was a neces- 
sary preliminary to the attack on Beaufort, in North 
Carolina, as well as to that on Fort Macon. The batteries 
of the Rebels had been erected two miles below Newbern. 
Their earthworks extended over a front of nearly two 
miles, mounted forty-six heavy guns, and were defended 
by a numerous force. The attack was made on the 14th 
of March, the troops having been landed on the previous 
evenmg at the mouth of Slocum Creek, on the west side 
of the Neuse river, about fifteen miles below Newbern. 
They were divided by General Burnside into three 
brigades, commanded by Generals Reno, Parks, and 
Foster. The Rebels had also erected a series of batteries 
along the banks of the Neuse. These were successively 
attacked and taken by the Federal troops, in their 
advance toward Newbern. In front of their entrench- 



310 A HISTORY OF 

ments the enemy had felled a number of trees, and these 
were so arranged as to form an almost impenetrable 
abattis. The works were defended bj about four thou- 
sand Eebels, while a reserve of four thousand was 
stationed at Newbern. The Federals, eight thousand in 
number, advanced with spirit to the attack on the works 
at which the Eebels had determined to make their final 
and most desperate stand. A conflict of three hours 
duration ensued. The Federals fought at musket range 
"until their ammunition was exhausted. General Burn- 
side then ordered a general charge to be made with the 
bayonet. This movement, executed with the utmost 
gallantry, decided the issue of the day. The Eebels fled 
with precipitation, and left the most valuable trophies in 
the possession of the victors. During the progress of the 
battle, an important advantage was gained by the Fede- 
ralists, by a flank movement effected by the second 
brigade commanded by General Eeno, assisted by a 
portion of the third. The Eebels fought with despera- 
tion ; and in one instance, when a portion of the twenty- 
first Massachusetts regiment had advanced with too much 
eagerness within the entrenchments of the enemy, they 
were overpowered by superior numbers and compelled 
to retreat. The advantage, however, was but temporary ; 
for soon afterward the whole mass of Eebel troops were 
driven in the greatest confusion from their works. They 
left all their guns unspiked. These fell into the hands 
of the victors, together with three thousand small arms, 
three light batteries of field artillery, a vast amount of 
ammunition, and three hundred prisoners. The loss of 
the Federals was seventy killed, two hundred and fifty 
wounded. 

After taking possession of the deserted entrenchments. 
General Burn side pressed forward to occupy Newbern. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 311 

The army passed rapidly along the railroad and the 
stage road. In their retreat the Kebels set fire to the 
bridge across the Trent, and afterward attempted, with 
less success, to burn the city. This ruthless purpose was 
defeated by the exertions of a number of the inhabitants 
who remained. It became necessary for the Federal 
troops to delay on the banks of the river, until the 
transports had sailed up from below. The first brigade 
at length embarked and passed over. The second and 
third bivouacked during the night of the l-ith on the 
other side, and did not cross until the next day. New- 
bern was nearly deserted by its white population, and the 
negroes were revelling in a drunken carnival of barba- 
rous license. A provost guard was immediately estab- 
lished to restore order, and secure the safety of life and 
property. The possession of this important place was 
thus obtained by the Federal forces by a most brave 
and brilliant assault. The immediate result of this 
conquest was the cutting off of all railroad communica- 
tion with Beaufort, as well as between Richmond, 
Charleston, and the Atlantic slave States; the control 
of a large part of eastern North Carolina; and an easy 
advance either toward Raleigh in the interior, or toward 
Fort Macon on the south. 



812 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER XIX. 

MOVEMENTS OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC ITS SUBDIVrSIONS THR 

BATTLE OF WINCOESTER — INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE ITS RESULTS 

THE KILLED AND WOUNDED SKETCH OF GENERAL SHIELDS — CONCEN- 
TRATION OF THE REBEL TROOPS NEAR CORINTH APPROACH OF THE 

FEDERAL ARMY UNDER GENERAL GRANT DISPOSITION OF THE REBEL 

ARMY — COMMENCEMENT OF THE BATTLE OF PITTSBURG LANDING OR 

SHILOH ATTACK AND CAPTURE OF GENERAL PRENTISS's TROOPS 

EFFORTS OF GENERALS SHERMAN AND MCCLERNAND — THE ENGAGEMENT 

BECOMES GENERAL DESPERATE FIGHTING ON BOTH SIDES GRADUAL 

REPULSE AND RETREAT OF THE FEDERAL ARMY^TERRIFIC SCENES 

INTERPOSITION OF THE FEDERAL GUNBOATS END OF THE FIRST DAY'S 

BATTLE ARRIVAL OF GENERAL BUELL DISPOSITION OF TROOPS 

DURING THE ENSUING NIGHT — THE SECOND DAY'S CONFLICT — INCI- 
DENTS OF THIS DAY SKILL AND ENERGY OF GENERAL BUELL THE 

TIDE OF VICTORY IS GRADUALLY REVERSED — ULTIMATE DEFEAT OF THE 

REBELS THEIR RETREAT TO CORINTH — SKETCH OF GENERAL BUELL 

RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF SHILOH. 

When at length in compliance with the positive order 
of President Lincoln, the great army of the Potomac, 
numbering over two hundred thousand men, moved to 
the conquest of Richmond, it was divided into several 
separate corps d\tr7nec. The largest and most important 
of these was commanded by General McClellan. After 
leaving Manassas it was conveyed by transports down 
the Potomac to Fortress Monroe, and having afterward 
disembarked below Yorktown, prepared to effect the 
reduction of that place, and then advance toward the 
Rebel capital. The second corps under General McDowell 
pursued a middle line of march, due south, toward the 
city of Fredericksburg. The third, under General Banks, 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 313 

passing through Harper's Ferry, proceeded to Winchester, 
and thence through the valley of the Shenandoah, by 
Strasburg, Woodstock, New Market, and Harrisonburg, 
toward Staunton. It was a portion of this force which 
encountered a large body of Rebels near Winchester, 
and which, led on by General Shields, gained a decisive 
victory at that place. 

The Rebel army which thus came into action near 
Winchester, was com.manded by General T. J. Jackson. 
On Saturday, March 22d, 1862, some skirmishing took 
place between Ashby's famous cavalry and the Federal 
pickets, until four o'clock in the afternoon, when the 
enemy appeared in larger numbers. They advanced as 
far as the Stone House Mill on the Strasburg turnpike. 
General Shields then ordered three batteries of artillery 
to be sent to the scene of action, and a brisk combat 
ensued between them and the Rebels. It was of short 
duration, however, for soon the latter broke and retreated. 
General Shields was on the field during the conflict, and 
was wounded in the arm. The enemy was followed a 
short distance, when night put an end to the pursuit. 

On Sunday morning, March 23d, tlie Rebels, having 
been reinforced by five regiments of infantry and two 
batteries of artillery under General Garnett, renewed the 
conflict. Their united forces amounted to eight or ten 
thousand men. Their line of battle extended about a 
mile on the right of the village of Kerntown. The 
action commenced with the eighth Ohio regiment, which 
formed part of General Tyler's brigade. A furious 
assault was made on these troops, with the design of 
turning the right flank of the Federals. They were 
repulsed with great heroism by the Ohio troops ; and 
although they emerged five times from the woods and 
from behind their stone wall parapets, they were invaria- 



314 A HISTORY OF 

bly repulsed. The left wing of the Federals consisted of 
the thirteenth Indiana, the seventh Ohio, and a battery 
of the fourth regular artillery, commanded by Captain 
Jenks. The centre consisted of the fourteenth Indiana, 
the sixty-seventh Ohio, and the eighty-fourth Pennsylva- 
nia. The cavalry, comprising the first Michigan and 
the first Ohio, were drawn up in the rear. The Federal 
right included the eighth and fifth Ohio, and a battery 
of the first Virginia regiment. Three regiments consti- 
tuted the reserve. 

During the engagement all these troops except the 
cavalry were brought into action. The battle raged 
along the whole line from eleven in the morning until 
half-past two. At that time Greneral Shields ordered his 
right wing to charge upon the enemy with the bayonet. 
Previous to issuing this order, he had strengthened his 
right by the addition of the eighty-fourth Pennsylvania 
and a battery of artillery. The left wing of the enemy, 
opposing the Federal right, had also been reinforced ; 
and the execution of the order to charge had become 
one, not only of importance, but also of difficulty. On 
the success of the movement the issue of the conflict 
depended. It was three o'clock when all was ready, and 
the word of command was given. General Tyler led the 
charge at the head of his troops. As the Federals 
advanced toward the Rebels, they encountered a hail- 
storm from their artillery and small arms ; and their loss 
was heavy. The former reserved their fire until they 
were within fifteen or twenty yards of the enemy ; they 
then poured into them a destructive deluge of lead and 
iron, and charged upon them with the bayonet. But the 
resistance at first made was stubborn and resolute. The 
enemy fought bravely and contested the ground foot by 
foot. General Jackson had changed the position of some 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION 315 

of his troops during the action, so that now they pre- 
sented the form of a concave front to their assailants ; 
and his troops continued tlie struggle for victory with 
great determination. 

Nevertheless, the valor of the Federal forces was 
destined to triumph. The Eebels at length began to 
retire, and fled about half a mile. They then placed 
their guns in position and renewed the contest. Over- 
borne again by the heroism of their assailants, they 
resumed their retrograde movement, still bringing tlieir 
guns to bear upon the pursuers at every opportunity. 
Thus the fight and the pursuit were continued until 
nightfall, when the victorious Federalists bivouacked 
during the night upon the battle-field. On the next day 
the chase of the Eebels continued as far as the vicinity 
of Strasburg. The fighting during the battle of Win- 
chester was at some periods as desperate as can well be 
imagined; and the intensity of the struggle may be 
inferred from the single fact that, within a few minutes, 
four standard bearers of one of the Federal regiments 
were successively slain. Captain Whitcome, of the fifth 
Ohio, then took up the fallen colors; but he also fell in 
a few seconds, while cheering on his men. The battle- 
field, after such a conflict, necessarily presented a revolt- 
ing spectacle. The loss on both sides was very heavy, when 
the number of combatants engaged is taken into con- 
sideration. Eighty-five Eebels were buried on the field 
in a single grave, thirty feet wide. Ten wagons filled 
with dead and wounded, accompanied the fugitives 
toward Strasburg. Along the stone parapet or wall 
which formed part of the enemy's line, their dead bodies 
were found piled in heaps upon each other. The loss on 
the Federal side was about one hundred and thirty killed, 
two hundred and fifty wounded. After the pursuit of 



816 A HISTORY OF 

the rebels as far as Strasburg, tbej continued tbeir 
retreat through the valley of the Shenandoah toward 
"Woodstock. 

General James Shields, whose skill and valor con- 
tributed so much to the victory of the troops under his 
command', was born in the county of Tyrone, Ireland, in 
1810. He emigrated to this country when sixteen 
years of age, and settled in Kaskasia, one of the oldest 
villages of Illinois. He there engaged in the study of 
the law, and was admitted to that primitive and frontier 
bar. In 1838 he was elected a member of the Legislature 
of that State. Five years afterward he was appointed 
a judge of its Supreme Court. In 1845 he received 
from President Polk the appointment of commissioner of 
the General Land Ofl&ce at Washington. When the 
Mexican war commenced, he was made a brigadier 
general of volunteers, and fought with great gallantry at 
Vera Cruz "and Cerro Gordo. It was in the latter battle 
that he received a dangerous wound, and was saved from 
death by a singular and propitious accident. A copper 
ball had passed through his body and lungs, the extra- 
vasated blood was gradually forming, and he was rapidly 
approaching the hour of death. His case had been given 
over as hopeless by the regular surgeons of the armv, 
when a Mexican doctor offered to save his life if he would 
permit him to operate. The permission was readily 
granted. A fine silk handkerchief was then worked into 
the wound, and finally drawn through it and taken out 
at the back, so that daylight could be seen through the 
aperture. By means of the handkerchief the blood was 
removed, the wound afterward healed, and the patient 
recovered. He subsequently distinguished himself at 
Chapultepec, and was again wounded, though less severely 
than before. His services were rewarded by being made 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 317 

major general of volunteers. After the termination of 
the war he returned to Illinois, and in 1849 was elected 
to represent that state in the Federal Senate, in place of 
Mr. Breeze. Technical objections having been raised 
against his admission to that body, he resigned his seat, 
was immediately reelected, and afterward served his full 
term of six years in that important assemblage. In 1855 
he removed to Minnesota. He was soon elected from 
that State to a seat in the Federal Senate: but havin^*- 
drawn the short term, his period of service expired in 
1859. He then emigrated to California, and there 
resumed the profession of the law. When the Eebellion 
broke forth, he was invited from that distant sphere to 
accept a commission in the Federal army. The offer was 
at first declined ; but upon its renewal he accepted it, and 
at once journeyed to Washington. The death of General 
Lander provided a suitable position for him. He received 
the command of his brigade, being placed under the 
superior orders of General Banks. The battle and the 
victory of Winchester soon enabled him to demonstrate 
that he had lost nothing of that martial skill and heroic 
valor which had already rendered him distinguished in 
the annals of American warfare. 

The severe losses which the Eebcls had incurred in 
the southwest, seemed only to have rendered them more 
determined ; and their ablest generals gi-adually concen- 
trated their most efficient troops near Corinth, Tennessee. 
At that place General Beauregard, the hero of Bull Run, 
commanded, assisted by Albert Sidney Johnson, Breck 
iiiridge, and other Rebel officers of high rank. Their 
purpose was to intercept the victorious march of the 
Federal troops who had triumphed at Forts Henry 
and Donelson; and to prevent their intended advance 
toward Memphis. For some days General Grant had 



318 



A HISTORY OF 



"been transferring his forces to Savannah, Tennessee, and 
thence across the river to Pittsburg Landing. It was on 
the fourth of April, that about tliirty-five thousand of 
these had passed over, and had taken their position at 
the distance of several miles from the shore. Thej were 
awaiting the arrival of the remainder of the army under 
General Buell, containing about an equal number of 
men, who should have already been on the spot, in ac- 
cordance with the plans of General Grant. While this 
unfortunate delay existed, and the separation of the 
Federal army into two bodies, which necessarily resulted 
from it, continued, the Rebel generals conceived the idea 
of making a sudden attack. Their time was admirably 
chosen. They executed their purpose with superior skill 
and fortitude; and the great but indecisive battle of 
Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing was the result. 

The Federal forces which had crossed the river were 
posted westward from Pittsburg Landing, in a curved 
line along the banks, and extended a distance of three 
and a half miles ; the centre facing the road to Corinth. 
They were commanded by Generals Prentiss, Sherman, 
Hurlbut, and McClernand. As Corinth was a position 
admirably adapted for defense, it was not suspected that 
the enemy would abandon the advantages which it 
afforded and venture on an advance. Hence it must be 
admitted that their attack was in a great measure unex- 
pected. They marched out of Corinth on Saturday, 
April 5th, seventy thousand in number, in three grand 
divisions. Sidney Johnson was in command of the 
centre ; Braxton Bragg and Beauregard commanded the 
two wings; Hardee, Polk, Breckinridge, and Cheatham 
held inferior positions. Their plan of attack was, to 
assault the centre of the Federal lines, consisting of the 
divisions of Prentiss and McClernand, penetrate them, 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 319 

and tlien assail each of the wings on the front and flank. 
Having thus divided and overpowered the Federal army, 
their purpose was to compel them to surrender, or drive 
them into the Tennessee river, and thus complete either 
the capture or the ruin of the whole. 

During the night of Saturday their numerous forces 
lay at no very great distance from the Federal camp. 
Their proximity evidently began to be suspected ; for at 
two o'clock in the morning of Sunday, the 6th, Colonel 
Peabody, of General Prentiss's division, sent forward four 
hundred men beyond his lines, to ascertain whether any 
Eebel troops lay in that vicinity. These had scarcely 
proceeded half a mile when they encountered a large 
body of Eebels approaching them. The latter opened 
their fire immediately, and drove the Federals with great 
slaughter, back toward their camp. They followed 
promptly, and actually reached the position of Colonel 
Peabody as his regiment, aroused by the distant firing, 
were falling into line. The gray mists of morning were 
then about ascending, and throwing a partial, hazy light 
over the scene, so soon to become the arena of one of the 
bloodiest struggles of modern times. Many of the 
officers had not yet risen, many of the men were not yet 
armed, when the whole Federal camp became aware that 
a vigorous attack had commenced upon some portion of 
their line. The twenty-fifth Missouri regiment, belong- 
ing to General Prentiss's division, was the first to feel the 
assault of the approaching enemy, who were firing 
volleys of musketry as they advanced. Their cannon, 
already in position and unlimbered, were tossing shells 
into the heart of the Federal encampment. During this 
process the Federal army was gradually dressing, arming, 
and falling into line; but this was not accomplished until 
a decisive advantage had been gained by the enemy. 



320 A HISTORY OF 

The whole of General Sherman's division was the first 
to confront the Eebels in line of battle. It was now six 
o'clock. Sherman's troops withstood the shock for some 
time with heroism ; but being overpowered by superior 
numbers, were compelled to give way. As they»retreated 
the balls of the enemy ploughed through their living 
masses with fearful slaughter. The divisions of Generals 
Sherman and Buckland abandoned their camp equipage, 
and some of them retreated in disgraceful disorder. 
Several of the Ohio regiments, especially the fifty-third, 
commanded by Colonel Appier, fled without firing a 
single gun, and covered themselves with ignominy. In 
vain did General McClernand order forward a portion of 
his left, to support the scattering and fugitive troops of 
Buckland. In vain did General Sherman exert himself 
to stop the flight of his own fnen, dashing bravely along 
the lines amid a hailstorm of bullets. The advancinor 

O 

billows of the Rebel host overwhelmed every thing 
before them ; and while portions of the Federal regiments 
occasionally paused a few moments to stop the tide of 
fugitives and pursuers, the great mass rolled onward in a 
tumultuous chaos toward the river. Then it was that 
General Prentiss, having succeeded in making a stand 
for a time, and having been left unsupported on the field, 
was encompassed by the enemy. A wall of bayonets 
closed around his rnen, and after a short but desperate 
combat they were made prisoners. Three regiments 
having laid down their arms, were marched toward the 
rear of the enemy. 

It was now ten o'clock. One whole division of the 
Federal army had retreated, leaving a frightful gap in the 
centre of their lines. Just then the division of G<^.neral 
VV. H. L. Wallace was deployed into the vacant territory ; 
and they held their position with great resolution till 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 821 

toward the end of the day. By this time General Grant 
arrived on the field from Savannah, and immediately 
placed guards in the rear to stop the retreating soldiers. 
The temporary flight was thus terminated, the oflficers 
became reassured, and succeeded in bringing their troops, 
many of whom had begun to waver, into order of battle. 
Then ensued a more regular, universal and desperate 
combat. The battle raged along the whole line ; for the 
enemy had now all reached the scene of conflict, and 
every portion of both armies was brought into action. 
The roar of the cannon and musketry was deafening; the 
earth trembled under their shock. The fiercest struggle 
was in the centre, between the enemy and the troops 
who had taken General Sherman's position. A furious 
charge was made upon the fourteenth Ohio battery, and 
after a long contest it was captured by the Eebels. A 
similar onslaught was made upon the fifth Ohio battery, 
which resulted in the capture of three of its guns. The 
left wing of the Federal forces also encountered and 
resisted a ferocious assault. The Eebels, by a sudden 
dash, captured a part of the battery of Waterhouse, 
together with that of Beer. For nearly two hours a 
lurid sheet of firei^lazed between the two columns, hurl- 
ing destruction into each other's ranks. Three different 
times the Federals, weakened by the deadly fire of the 
Mississippi riflemen, were compelled slowly to retire 
toward the river ; and three times they regained the lost 
advantage. Dresser's battery of rifled guns on two 
occasions made the enemy recoil with fearful losses. 

Thus till after three o'clock the combat raged with 
appalling fury. The air seemed filled with sulphurous 
hail ; the wide-spread scene of conflict was covered with 
a far ascending curtain of smoke, within which the 
rushing, advancing, receding masses of men might be 
21 



822 A HISTORY OF 

dimly seen, plunged into the mortal struggles of the con- 
flict. At one time the fire of the enemy appeared to be 
concentrated toward the centre. At another it would 
expand and extend itself up and down the line, to right 
and to left. By this time the ground was covered with 
the wounded and the slain of both armies. Successive 
bayonet charges had been made at intervals during the 
day by both sides. Thus, repeatedly was the terrific 
spectacle exhibited during that long and desperate 
combat, of a thousand men, sometimes five thousand, 
summoned by the sound of the bugle, forming into line, 
rushing forward with fixed bayonets as if impelled by a 
single animating spirit, rending the air with their yells, 
sheets of flame darting forth from their advancing lines, 
then the shock of the collision, the reverberation of the 
blows, the clashing of steel, and at last the necessary 
r^^coi], as the one party or the other, possessing greater 
momentum and strength than their adversaries, remained 
masters of the position. Then were heard the piercing 
shrieks of the wounded, the melancholy groans of the 
dying, the vociferous shouts of the victors. All this had 
frequently been enacted during the long progress of that 
day. For the most part the superiority of numbers 
which the rebels possessed generally gave them the 
advantage. As the sun was descending the western 
heavens, the Federal army was gradually retiring toward 
the river, unable to resist with success the ponderous 
and infuriated masses opposed to them. By this time 
the enemy had full possession of the camps of Sherman, 
Prentiss, and McClernand. The whole front line, except 
Stuart's brigade, had given way. To the last the divisions 
of W. n. L. Wallace and Hurlbut made a heroic stand, 
and maintained their positions. Hurlbut had been en- 
camped at the end of the line nearest the river. His 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 323 

troops consisted chiefly of Kentucky, Indiana and 
Iowa regiments. Having open fields before them, they 
raked the approaching enemy with terrible effect. They 
held their position from ten in the forenoon until half 
past three. No officer on the field deserved greater praise 
for his heroism and gallantry than General Hurlbut. 
• His example and his exertions served greatly to avert 
the horrors of an universal defeat, which impended over 
the army of the Union on that memorable day. Next 
in line to his brigade was that of General W. H, L. 
Wallace, who commanded the troops which had formerly 
been under the orders of General Charles Ferguson 
Smith, whom sickness prevented from being present in 
this engagement. General Wallace entered into the 
conflict about ten o'clock. He and his men fought with 
the utmost resolution till half past three. Four separate 
times the Rebel generals attempted to turn them by the 
most furious charges. Just as often their advancing 
masses were compelled to recoil and retreat with fearful 
losses. The powerful batteries from Missouri, com- 
manded by Stone, Weber, and Richardson, were admira- 
bly served, and greatly contributed to the partial success 
of the day, in this portion of the field. But when the 
general retreat began, and the whole line commenced to 
retire, they were compelled to yield, ft)r it would have 
been madness to remain. As the division began to fall 
back. General Wallace was severely wounded. His 
soldiers were the last to give way, at that desperate 
moment when the Federal line was driven back within 
half a mile of Pittsburg Landing, with the victorious 
masses of the Rebels crowding within a thousand yards 
of their confused and retreating ranks. 

And now the last horrible tragedy of this day seemed 
about to be consummated. The Rebels at length occupied 



324 A HISTORY OF 

all tlie camps of the Federal army. Tlie latter were 
crowded in wild confusion around Pittsburg Landing, 
within the circumference of half a mile. In vain had the 
soldiers of the Union expended prodigies of valor, in 
the most desperate attempts to resist their fate. They 
had now fallen back as far as the nature of the ground 
would permit. There seemed to be no alternative but 
to surrender, or to perish beneath the tranquil and 
brightly glancing waves of the Tennessee river ; for 
sufi&cient transports had not been provided to convey 
over even a small proportion of the multitude of the fugi- 
tives. Never had the fate of any army seemed more 
desperate, its ruin more inevitable. During the day 
General Buell had been repeatedly telegraphed to hasten 
his tardy legions ; but he had been unable as yet to reach 
the scene of conflict. Certain destruction thus appeared 
to impend over the Union army, when a sudden deliver- 
ance unexpectedly arose. The gunboats Lexington and 
A. 0. Tyler having opportunely arrived from Savannah, 
were at that moment able to bring their guns to bear 
upon the masses of the victorious Rebels ; and having 
steamed up the mouth of Licking Creek, they opened a 
deadly fire upon their right wing. Broadside after 
broadside of sixty-four pounders was discharged as 
rapidly as the most skillful gunnery could send their 
shells into the serried ranks of the foe. At the same 
time the long wished-for advance guard of Buell's army 
appeared on the high bluffs which lined the opposite 
banks of the river. Their presence at once inspirited 
the Federal troops, and shout after shout ascended to 
greet them. But no time was to be lost, and quickly 
several transports which had been tied along the opposite 
bank were loosed, and filled with artillery and troops. 
But before they could arrive, Colonel Webster, the chief 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLTOlSr. 325 

of General Grant's staff, had collected all the guns which 
remained untaken, had formed them into a semicircle 
bearing upon the Eebel army, and had opened a for- 
midable assault upon their line. These combined salutes, 
while they raised the courage of the Federal forces, 
which had been fighting for so many hours, disheartened 
the enem}'-. The death of General Sidney Johnson now 
became known, which misfortune added to their panic. 
Their commanders at length discovered that their successes 
for that day were ended ; and that no further advantage 
could possibly be gained. They therefore withdrew as 
far as the Federal camps which they had taken, and 
prepared to renew the contest with more decisive results, 
as they hoped, on the ensuing day. 

The night of Sunday was industriously employed in 
tranporting the troops of General Buell across the river. 
As soon as the successive regiments arrived, they 
proceeded to take their positions in the Federal lines. 
The gunboats continued their bombardment during the 
whole night. They soon made the position occupied by 
the centre and the right of the Eebels, at the close of 
Sunday, untenable, and compelled them to fall back from 
point to point, so that they evacuated more than half the 
ground they had gained by the retreat of the Federal 
army toward the river. This cironmstance will account 
for the mysterious fact that the Rebels made no assault 
during the night, as had been confidently expected ; and 
it also prevented them from commencing the battle at 
daybreak on Monday. 

During the hours of that memorable night, while a 
furious tempest raged, and a deluge of rain descended, 
the Federal commanders were busy in making prepara- 
tions for resuming the contest. New dispositions had 
been formed. Amnion's brigade was placed on the 



326 A HISTORY OF 

extreme left, that of Bruce in the centre, that of Hazen 
on the right of Nelson's division. At seven o'clock on 
Monday the action began, by a simultaneous advance on 
both sides ; for both sides seemed equally eager for the 
combat. General Lewis "Wallace opened the engagement 
by shelling the enemy opposed to him. He was answered 
by a powerful Rebel battery, and a duel between artillery 
ensued. The result here was, that a body of Federal 
infantry having been sent across a ravine to attack the 
flank of this portion of the enemy's line, the guns of the 
latter were soon limbered up and hastily withdrawn. 
General Nelson at the same time attacked the enemy 
opposed to him. His large mass of troops renewed the 
contest in all its fury ; the action soon became general 
along the whole line; and the rattle of small arms, and 
the louder, heavier tones of the artillery reverberated 
without intermission over the far-extending scene of 
conflict. The Rebels attacked the Federal centre and 
right with the utmost desperation. At half past ten the 
Federals had regained nearly all the ground from which 
they had been driven on the preceding day. At that 
moment the enemy concentrated their efforts to make 
a grand assault. Suddenly, and with much concert, their 
generals hurled their furious squadrons on the lines of 
the advancing Federals. Stunned by the shock, the 
latter reeled, and for a time gave way on the entire right. 
The ground there was fiercely contested, and the issue 
would have been doubtful, perhaps disastrous; but just 
at the critical moment General Buell arrived on that part 
of the field and assumed the command. He soon com- 
prehended the relative positions of the combatants, and 
ordered a forward double-quick movement by brigades. 
The Rebel lines were then driven back for a quarter of a 
mile. Soon the deserted camps of the Federals were 



THE SOUTHER]Sr REBELLION". 



327 



reached, and repossessed by their former owners. By 
half past two the entire right of the enemy was routed ; 
they had lost all in that portion of the field which they 
had gained; the captured guns of the Federals were 
retaken ; and some additional trophies were wrested from 
the retreating enemy. In that part of the Federal lines 
where the brigades of Crittenden, McCook, Smith, and 
Boyle were posted, a contest of equal intensity took 
place. At one time the Federal troops were overpowered 
and retreated. The day was recovered by a spirited 
cannonade poured into the Eebel masses by the batteries 
Mendenhall and Bartlett. After a long contest the enemy 
here also began to retire, and to leave the field in the 
possession of their antagonists. On the extreme right, 
wdiere the gallant Hurlbut and McClernand commanded, 
the vicissitudes of the day were equally varied, to be 
terminated at last by a result equally honorable to the 
Federal arms. Four times McClernand lost and regained 
the position which he occupied at the commencement 
of the engagement. The troops in the centre of the 
Federal army, commanded by General Sherman, over- 
powered by a terrific assault of artillery, in which Wat- 
son's Louisiana battery was remarkable for its prodigious 
effects, were compelled at one time to give way. But 
after a long struggle they recovei;ed their advantage, 
aided by the efficient batteries of Thurber and Thompson. 
By four o'clock, an hour and a half later than the victory 
on the left, the enemy commenced to retire here also 
before Sherman's advancing lines. Then the retreat 
became general, and the whole Rebel army, disheartened 
and essentially weakened by the immense though futile 
stru"-"-les of the day, withdrew in comparative order 
toward Corinth. The Federal forces then reoccupied 
their ori'i-inal camp, and took possession of almost every 



328 A HISTORY OF 

trophy which, on the preccdiog day, had fallen into the 
possession of the temporary victors. 

Daring the progress of this memorable engagement, 
Generals Grant, Buell, Sherman, Nelson, the Wallaces, 
Ilurlbut, McClernand and McCook, greatly distinguished 
themselves. They were present in every portion of the 
field, and exhibited the utmost skill and coolness in 
every emergency. Very many of the inferior com- 
manders were equally valiant and equally worthy of 
commendation. But it must also be admitted, that some 
of the subaltern officers disgraced themselves during the 
combat by their cowardice. General Grant was com- 
pelled to oi'der a number of these under arrest on the 
battle-field. The results of this great conflict were im- 
portant. Their defeat greatly dispirited the Rebel 
leaders ; while it covered the B'ederal arms with immortal 
renown. The loss of the enemy was seventeen hundred 
and twenty-eight killed, eight thousand and twelve 
wounded, nine hundred missing. Their chief misfortune 
was the death of Albert Sidney Johnston. The loss of 
the Federals was about two thousand killed, seven 
thousand four hundred wounded, and nearly three thou- 
sand missing.* 

The chief glory of this victory will be ascribed by 
posterity to the two generals who were highest in com- 
mand, Generals Grant and Buell. The former we have 
already sketched. The latter was born in Ohio in 1820. 
He entered the academy at West Point in 1837, and was 

* It is impossible to state the number of killed and wounded in 
this battle with precise and perfect accuracy. All the accounts, 
even those which seem to be most reliable and authoritative, 
essentially differ. All that can be done with the probability of 
truth is, to state those numbers which seem to possess the greatest 
preponderance of authority in their favor ; and those numbers I 
htive given in the text. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 829 

bre vetted second lieutenant of infantry in 1841. He 
was appointed first lieutenant in June, 1846, and in Sep- 
tember of the same year was brevetted captain, for his 
gallantry at the battle of Monterey. At the battle of 
Cherubusco he was severely wounded in the chest. In 
1848 he attained the rank of assistant adjutant general, 
with the full rank of captain. When the Eebellion 
commenced he was stationed in California; but was at 
once appointed a brigadier general by Congress, and 
ordered to take command of a division of the army of 
the Potomac. General Anderson having resigned the 
command of the Department of the Ohio, General Buell 
was assigned to that position. He addressed himself to 
the task of organizing an efficient army in his depart- 
ment, and in arranging some of the details of the 
campaign which were afterward realized. The engage- 
ments in which Humphrey Marshall was defeated by 
General Garfield, that of Mill Springs in which Zollicoffer 
fell, and other important operations in Kentucky, were 
planned by him. When General Halleck was placed in 
command of the department of the southwest, Buell was 
made his subordinate. At the same time he was pro- 
moted to the rank of major general. The long list of 
valuable services which he had rendered to the cause of 
the Union, was fitly crowned by his successful and 
skillful efforts at Pittsburg Landing; where he was 
instrumental in assisting to turn the tide of victory, and 
in wresting from the Kebel generals the laurels which 
were commencing, unworthily, to bloom around their 
brows. 



330 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE FEDERAL ARMY UNDER GENERAL MCCLELLAN APPROACH YORKTOWN — 
COLLISION ON HOWARD CREEK — ATTACK ON DETACHED REBEL EN- 
TRERCHMENTS — ESTaSlISHMENT OF THE FEDERAL CAMP, AND ERECTION 
OF FEDERAL BATTERIES — PREPARATIONS FOR A GREAT CONFLICT AT 
YORKTOWN — BRILLIANT OPERATIONS OF GENERAL MITCHELL IN ALA- 
BAMA RESULTS OF HIS RAPID MOVEMENTS SKETCH OF GENERAL 

MITCHELL — EVENTS IN GEORGIA — CAPTURE OP FORT PULASKI — 
STRENGTH OF THE REBEL WORKS — INCIDENTS OF THE BOMBARDMENT 
OF THAT FORT — RESULTS OP THE CAPTURE — THE CONQUEST OF NEW 
ORLEANS FEDERAL ARMAMENT UNDER COMMODORE FARRAGUT — BOM- 
BARDMENT OF FORTS JACKSON AND ST. PHILIP — AN ENGAGEMENT OP 

SIX DAYS REDUCTION OF THESE FORTS IMPRESSION PRODUCED BY IT 

IN NEW ORLEANS — THE FEDERAL FLEET APPROACH THAT CITY THE 

REBEL TROOPS EVACUATE IT — THE SUMMONS TO SURRENDER — IMPERTI- 
NENCE OF MAYOR MONROE NEW ORLEANS OCCUPIED BY FEDERAL 

TROOPS SKETCH OF COMMODORE FARRAGUT — THE BOMBARDMENT OP 

FORT MACON — INCIDENTS OF THE ASSAULT STRENGTH OF THAT FORT 

RESULTS OP ITS CAPTURE BY THE FEDERAL TROOPS. 

On Friday, April 4th, 1862, the army of the Potomac, 
which had halted temporarily at Fortress Monroe on its 
way toward Yorktown,- resumed its march. Berdan's 
sharpshooters led the advance, with the fourth Michigan, 
the fourteenth New York, and the third Pennsylvania 
cavalry. The r«ute lay through Great Bethel on the 
direct road toward Yorktown. At that spot, already 
celebrated in the annals of the nation by the decisive 
victory gained by Washington over Lord Cornwallis on 
the 19th of October, 1781, the Rebels had concentrated an 
efficient army, thirty thousand strong, commanded by 
General McGruder ; had erected numerous breastworks 
which extended across the isthmus or peninsula which 



THE SOUTHEEN REBELLIOiN'. 331 

separates the York and the James rivers; and there they 
seemed resolved to contest to the utmost of their ability, 
the further progress of the Federal forces toward their 
capital. 

The enemy had constructed a fort as an outwork on 
the banks of Howard Creek, near the village of Ross- 
dowQ, which necessarily became the first object of attack. 
Allan's fifth Massachusetts battery was detailed to this 
service. Fifteen rounds of shell were thrown, after which 
the Rebels evacuated the fort with great precipitation. 
It was immediately occupied by the victors, and the stars 
and stripes were unfurled from the flag-staff. This 
conquest occupied but a brief period of time, and did not 
prevent the van of the Federal army from reaching tlie 
vicinity of Cocklestown, six miles distant from York- 
town, during the same day. On the morrow the maix'h 
was resumed. The falling rain had rendered the roads 
extremely difficult, and the progress of the troops and 
guns was comparatively slow. At length the advance 
reached a point not more than three miles distant from 
Yorktown. From this position some Rebel entrench- 
ments were discovered to the right of the road, at the 
distance of a mile. General McClellan deemed it advisa- 
ble not to leave these behind him to annoy his rear ; he 
therefore ordered a number of his batteries to attack 
them. The guns were immediately wheeled into position 
in advance of the infantry by whom they were supported. 
A heavy bombardment was commenced, to which the 
guns of the enemy in the forts responded. Their shells 
were thrown indiscriminately over the entire area covered 
by the Federal army, and sometimes bursting in the 
vicinity of tlie troops, were not harmless. The firing 
continued without intermission during the entire day. 
About noon it increased in fury and vigor. Then 



332 A HISTORY OF 

Morell's brigade on the left advanced witliin three- 
quarters of a mile of the entrenchments; the sharp- 
shooters approaclied still nearer, and picked oft' with an 
infallible aim, the most of those who manned the Kebel 
guns. In vain their artillery directed their special 
attention to these dangerous assailants, and attempted to 
shell them out beyond the range of their rifles. The 
heavy firing terminated with the close of the day, though 
skirmishing was continued between the pickets of both 
armies during the night. A number had been killed and 
wounded on both sides. Griffin's battery had silenced 
three of the guns of the Eebels. During the next day 
the enemy evacuated their entrenchments on the right, 
and concentrated their whole force in their main works 
before Yorktown. 

Immediately after the termination of this engagement, 
which was regarded merely as preliminary to the much 
greater and more decisive operations which were ex- 
pected soon to follow, the Federal army proceeded to 
establish their encampment before Yorktown. General 
McClellan carefully reconnoitered the works of the 
enemy. They were found to be both extensive and 
formidable. The next duty therefore was, to commence 
the construction of counter works, preliminary to a grand 
and final assault upon the fortifications of the foe. The 
latter proceeded with equal industry to strengthen those 
breastworks which they had already erected, and to add 
to their number. At the same time immense reinforce- 
ments were ordered to join the Eebel troops already 
assembled at Yorktown; so that in a short time they 
increased to the number of sixty thousand men. Leaving 
the combatants here to execute their purpose, in antici 
pation of the occurrence of a world-renowned combat 
between them at that spot, which was destined never to 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 333 

take place, we will proceed to narrate the events which 
were transpiring in other portions of the scene of conflict. 
It was at this period that General Mitchell achieved 
one of the most brilliant and effective episodes of the 
war. Starting from Lonisville with a few thousand men, 
he commenced a rapid advance soutliward through 
Alabama, expecting to encounter the enerny upon his 
line of march. He proceeded, however, witliout intei'- 
ruption as far as the city of Iluntsville, of which he took 
possession. Eebel forces on the route thither, instead 
of confronting and resisting him, uniformly fled from 
him. Their only strategy consisted in burning the 
bridges. Having reached HuntsvillC; General Mitchell 
sent out two expeditions in the railroad cars which he 
had captured at that place. The one under Colonel Sill, 
with the thirty-third Ohio, proceeded eastward to Steven- 
son, where the junction of the Chattanooga, the Memphis 
and the Charleston railroads takes place. The other, 
under Colonel Tarchin, with the nineteenth Illinois, went 
westward, and having arrived at Decatur took charge 
of the railroad bridge at that place, fifteen hundred fe^ 
long, and saved it from the destruction which at that 
moment impended over it. The former of these expedi- 
tions was equally useful ; for it captured a large number 
of fugitive Eebel troops, five locomotives, and an im- 
mense amount of rolling stock. The results of this 
enterprise were important. General Mitchell thereby 
obtained po.ssession of a hundred miles of the Memphis 
and Charleston railroad. He intercepted the communi- 
cation between the Ilcbel army at Corinth and the Rebel 
authorities in Richmond. It enabled him to threaten 
Corinth itself in flank and rear ; and to march upon it at 
any moment in concert with Generals Gi'unt and Bueil. 
Ue obtained the supremacy of a hundred miles of terri- 



334 A HISTOKY OF 

torj in the very heart of Alabama, in the blooming 
centre of a magnificent cotton region ; and he was able to 
encourage and protect the friends of the Union in that 
portion of the Rebel Confederacy. By this achievement 
the stars and stripes again waved over ten towns within 
the limits of Alabama, on* the railroad line between 
Decatur and Stevenson. 

„ Brigadier General O. M. Mitchell, the hero of this 
remarkable achievement, is known to fame both as a 
soldier and as a savant. He graduated at West Point in 
June, 1829, and having entered the artillery corps with 
the brevet rank of second lieutenant, became assistant 
professor of mathematics in that institution. That posi- 
tion he held until September, 1832, when he resigned 
his command with the army and engaged in civil engi- 
neering. He then studied law, and was admitted to the 
bar in Cincinnati in 1833. In 1834 he was appointed 
professor of mathematics and astronomy in the Ohio 
University. That position he retained during ten years. 
In 1845 he founded the Cincinnati Observatoiy, of which 
he became the director, and also published the " Siderial 
Messenger." In 1848 he held the of&ce of adjutant 
general of the State of Ohio, and subsequently became 
chief engineer of the Ohio and Mississippi railroad. 
Previous to the commencement of the Rebellion he had 
distinguished himself as an author and lecturer on 
scientific subjects. Having tendered his services to the 
defenders of the Union in the hour of its peril, they were 
promptly accepted ; and the successful result of his bold 
and skillful expedition into Alabama, testified to the 
high value of the abilities which he brought to the 
assistance of the government.* 

* It is a singular circumstance that not a few of the most eminent 
Federal generals in this war had previously distinguished themselves 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 385 

On tlie lOtli of April, 1862, victory crowned the 
Federal arms within the limits of the ancient State of 
Georgia. On that day the formal siege of Fort Pulaski 
began, which terminated, after a vigorous cannonading, in 
the surrender of the works to the Federal troops. 

This fort was the outpost of the defences of the city 
of Savannah, and was situated on the Savannah river at 
the narrowest part of its channel. It was a strong case- 
mated work, mounting fifty-seven guns of heavy calibre. 
There was a supply of a hundred tons of powder in the 
magazines; and its full armament of men was five 
hundred. It was in shape an irregular pentagon, with 
the base line or curtain-face to the inland. Its other 
faces were casemated and bore upon the outward ap- 
proaches. It stood on Cockspur Island, which is 
separated from Tybee Island by a narrow arm of sea. 
The walls were constructed of hard gray brick; were 
more than six feet in thickness, and were supposed to be 
able to resist all kinds of projectiles. It contained at the 
period of the attack, provisions and water for six months. 
It was provided with three furnaces for the purpose of 
heating shot. The curtain was covered by a redan, and 
the redan was surrounded by a ditch. Generals Viele 
and Gilmore had been directed by General Hunter, the 
Federal commander of that department, to erect a number 
of batteries in order to cut off the communication between 
the fort and the city of Savannah, and to construct others 
on the islands adjacent to the works, for the purpose of 
assailing and reducing it. The materials for executing 

as authors, sticli as Halleck, Fremont, McClellan, Mitcliell. The 
chief productions of the last were his "Planetary and Stellar 
Worlds," his "Popular Astronomy," and his "Astronomy of the 
Bible," all of which indicate profound scientific attainments and 
brilliant genius. 



336 A HISTORY OF 

this order were procured at Port Eoyal ; and consisted 
of a detachment of the third Ehode Island artillery, 
another detachment of volunteer engineers, a battalion 
of the eighth Maine regiment, the sixth Connecticut 
regiment, the forty-eighth New York, together with a full 
supply of heavy artillery and entrenching tools. By a re- 
connoissance which was made by Lieutenant J, A. Wilson, 
of the Topographical Engineers, it was ascertained that 
the Eebels had sunk the hulk of a brig in an artificial 
channel named Wall's Cut, connecting Wriglit river, 
one of the outlets of the Savannah, with Bull river, 
which served as a thoroughfare Between Port Eoyal and 
Savannah. It was of essential importance that this 
obstacle should be removed. The task was committed 
to Major Beard of the forty-eighth New York. After 
three weeks of unremitting labor during the night, by 
the use of ingenious mechanical contrivances, the work 
was accomplished. The expedition against Fort Pulaski 
then commenced to move ; and proceeding to the north 
end of Daufuskie Island, they established a camp and 
depot, and commenced operations. Eeconnoissances were 
immediately made for the selection of the most suitable 
positions for the erection of batteries. These having 
been duly ascertained, twelve batteries were successively 
constructed. Great difficulties attended and impeded the 
work. Eebel gunboats continually sailed up and down 
the Savannah river; and to have attempted to float the 
Federal cannon across in flatboats, would have exposed 
them to certain capture. It became necessary to drag 
them by night over Jones's Island on shifting tramways. 
The first of the batteries was thus placed in position 
during the night of the 11th of February. Three days 
afterward another battery was transported. Thus, on 
Venus Point, on Long Island, on Turtle Island, on Jones's, 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 837 

Bird's and Tybee Islands, the batteries were eventually- 
put into position, and breastworks were constructed 
which commanded the guns of Fort Pulaski. 

On the 10th of April all was ready, and the bombard- 
ment began at seven o'clock, after a flag of truce had 
been sent, demanding in vain the surrender of the fort. 
The batteries of Tybee Island commenced the assault. 
In a short time the Eebel flag-staff was cut in two, and 
the Rebel colors fell. But soon another staff was extem- 
porised, and another standard unfurled from the parapet. 
The bombardment was continued without intermission 
through the whole day. The enemy responded promptly 
and vigorously; but their shots produced much less 
execution than the shots of the Federal batteries. The 
Rebels seem to have been ignorant of the positions of the 
Federal works, because their fire invariably followed the 
successive openings of the different batteries. Their 
shells generally fell wide of the mark; but the aim of 
the Federal gunners was accurate. Accordingly, during 
the entire day the brick and mortar of the fort could be 
seen flying in all directions, and the Rebels were com- 
pelled to retire from one portion of their works to 
another. The number of Federal guns was thirty -six. 

At the end of the first day, the fire on both sides 
ceased. During the night a number of -guns were trans- 
ferred to Goat's Island, being the point nearest the fort. 
On the morning of the 11th, two small breaches could 
be discovered in the southeast face of the fort, which 
gradually assumed more enlarged proportions. The shells 
of the Federal batteries were gradually working their 
way toward the magazines. It was evident also that a 
number of the Rebel guns had become disabled. One of 
the breaches soon became fifteen feet wide, the other ten 
The falling debris from the walls filled the moat, and a 
22 



338 A HISTORY OF 

storming party could easily have passed over. Erom 
twelve different points of the compass the deluge of shot 
and shell poured into the doomed fort, scattering destruc- 
tion and ruin around. At length, at eighteen minutes 
past two, on the 11th, a white flag appeared on the para- 
pet of Pulaski. General Gilniore immediately sent a 
boat to the fort to demand its unconditional surrender. 
The commandant replied that, as the magazines were now 
exposed to the shot of the Federals, and might at any 
moment explode, it was madness to continue the defense. 
He had therefore concluded to surrender. The same day 
the seventh Connecticut regiment was sent to take posses- 
sion of the captured works, which, together with all the 
guns, ammunition, and provisions of the enemy, fell into 
the hands of the victors. Their sum total was forty-seven • 
guns, seven thousand shot and shells, forty thousand 
pounds of powder, together with three hundred and sixty 
prisoners. The latter belonged to the first Georgia 
regiment of volunteers, commanded by Colonel Charles 
n. Olmstead. The captive of&cers and prisoners were 
afterward sent in the steamer Benjamin Deford to the city 
of New York. This important success restored to the 
Federal Government another of the fortresses which had 
been treacherously stolen from it by the Ecbel authorities. 
It prepared the way for the future reduction of the city 
of Savannah. Fort Jackson indeed intervened between 
it and the Federal troops ; but being inferior in size and 
ia armament to Pulaski, it could offer no serious obstacle 
to the triumphant advance, at the proper moment, of the 
forces of the Union. 

In March, 1862, a powerful Federal fleet, consisting of 
forty-six sail, carrying two hundred and eighty-six guns, 
and twenty- one mortars, was placed under the command 
of Flag Officer D. S. Farragut, for the attack and conquest 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 339 

of New Orleans. Preliminary to the bombardment of 
the formidable forts which guarded the Crescent City, a 
reconnoissance was made on the 28th of that month by 
Captain Bell, under the orders of the commodore. He 
took the gunboats Kennebec and Wissahickon, and pro- 
ceeded up the Mississippi. Having arrived in the vicinity 
of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, below New Orleans, 
sketches were taken of their construction, and other im- 
portant information was obtained. During this process, 
both forts continued to throw their shells in the vicinity 
of the unwelcome and inquisitive visitors, but fortunately 
without any serious result. It was ascertained that a 
strong chain had been thrown across the river, which 
was supported by eight dismantled vessels and a large 
raft ; that both of the forts were well armed and fully 
garrisoned ; that fire rafts had been prepared to drift 
toward the bombarding vessels to destroy them ; and that 
every other expedient had been adopted to accomplish 
a desperate and protracted defense. 

On the 4th of April a portion of the Federal fleet 
pursued a number of Kebel vessels which approached 
their position in the river. The Kimeo closed with a 
steamer carrying a blue flag, which seemed to indicate 
that the Rebel commander was on board. A chase ensued 
up the stream, until the appearance in the distance of a 
much larger number of Rebel vessels, including the 
formidable ram Manassas, rendered it expedient for the 
Federal vessels to return to their anchorage. Prepara- 
tions were then made to attack the forts with the full 
power of the fleet ; and having silenced them, to advance 
to the subjugation of the Crescent City which they 
defended. Accordingly, on the 20th of April, twenty- 
one mortar boats and three gunboats, having approached 
within range of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, commenced 



840 A HISTORY OF 

a vigorous bombardment. The enemy in the fortifications 
replied with spirit ; but on the 26th their fire ceased, and 
they were silenced, after an engagement of six days. 
Immediately afterward fourteen war steamers sailed past 
the now harmless batteries, on their way toward New 
Orleans, The chain which had been thrown across 
the river was wrenched in twain by the vigorous blows 
of two gunboats. One of the fire-ships which the enemy 
had sent adrift, unfortunately came in contact with the flag 
ship Hartford, which was ignited ; but the conflagration 
was extinguished before any serious damage was done. 
Other casualties were more important. In an engage- 
ment which took place between the Union steam sloop 
Yerona, of ten guns, and the Kebel steam Webster, 
the latter ran into the Yerona and injured her so severely 
that she was soon in a sinking condition. But while in 
this state she discharged a full broadside into her antago- 
nist, with such effect that she too began to sink, and 
both vessels went down together. The Union gunboat 
Carlton was also sunk by the shot of the forts. On the 
other side, the Federal forces destroyed eleven Kebel 
gunboats, and the floating battering ram Manassas. 

The engagement between the fleet and the forts was 
not only a protracted, but also a desperate one. Some 
of the Federal soldiers fell dead from mere exhaustion at 
their guns. The names of these obscure heroes have 
indeed passed into oblivion ; but they deserved a renown 
equal to that which clusters around the exploits of their 
more famous and fortunate commanders. On the 27th 
of April, a flag of truce was sent to Commodore Porter; 
who commanded the mortar fleet, inquiring what terms 
of surrender would be accepted. The answer was, as 
usual with the Federal victors during this war, that no 
terms except an unconditional and an immediate surrender 



THE SOUTUERX EEBELLION. 341 

would be entertained. On the 28tli, after some delay, 
the transfer of the two forts, with all their guns, ammu- 
nition, and stores, was made to the conquerors. Imme- 
diately afterward General Butler, who commanded the 
land forces of the expedition, placed a competent garrison 
of Federal troops in the several fortifications. The loss 
on the Union side was thirty-six killed, one hundred and 
twenty-three wounded. The number of prisoners taken 
was four hundred. The Eebels who were killed and 
wounded numbered about five hundred. 

Having reduced Forts Jackson and St. Philip, the 
Union fleet resumed its triumphant progress up the 
Mississippi, and passed them at four o'clock on the 28th, 
The ncAvs of the fall of the two powerful bulwarks which 
had intercepted the advance of the Federal arms, reached 
New Orleans with great celerity, and threw the inhabi- 
tants of that city into paroxysms of terror. All business 
was instantly suspended, and martial law was proclaimed. 
The cotton which was accumulated upon the wharves, to the 
value of about eight millions of dollars, was destroyed by 
the orders of the municipal authorities. The anticipations 
of the inhabitants in reference to the speedy appearance 
of the Federal fleet before the city were not disappointed. 
On the 29th, the formidable apparition of twenty-one 
mortar vessels, commanded by Commodore David D. 
Porter, together with eight war steamers, hove in sight, 
and rapidly approached the dismayed capital. So 
paralyzed were the enemy at the approach of this flotiHa, 
that not the slightest attempt at resistance was made. 
General Mansfield Lovell, who was in command of the 
Rebel troops stationed in the city, immediately evacuated 
it, with all his forces, and hastily removed them to camp 
Moore, situated on the Jackson railroad. When, therefore. 
Commodore Farragut sent his peremptory summons to 



l- 



842 A HISTORY OF 

surrender, the only authorities who remained to wliom it 
could be addressed, were the municipal officers of the 
city. It was to Mayor Monroe that the demand for an 
immediate capitulation was made. That personage re- 
sponded to the Federal commander in a letter charac- 
terized by a singular mixture of folly and impudence, in 
which he set forth that the Federal forces possessed the 
power to take the city by brute force, and they might do 
it ; but that he never would voluntarily make the transfer. 
Without waiting for further negotiation. Commodore 
Farragut dispatched a number of troops from the fleet, 
which took possession of the city, occupied the Fedel^al 
buildings, and displayed the stars and stripes from the 
positions which had so long been disgraced by the Eebel 
colors. General Butler's land forces having disembarked 
on the shore of Lake Ponchartrain, were posted a few 
miles from the city, and a small portion of them in the 
city itself; while the Federal fleet rode at anchor in the 
port, to overawe the inhabitants, and retain them in 
quiet, and to some extent unwilling obedience to the 
legitimate authority which had thus resumed its beneficent 
sway over them. 

The chief hero of the capture of New Orleans, and of 
the reduction of its protecting forts. Commodore David 
Gr. Farragut, was born in Tennessee in 1797. He entered 
the navy as a midshipman in December, 1810. He then 
served under Commodore David Porter, and was the first 
to board the Essex. He afterward accompanied that 
gallant officer in his expedition around Cape Horn in 
1813. He passed the ten succeeding years in various 
cruises, and on the 13th of January, 1825, was com- 
missioned a lieutenant. In 1851 he was ordered to serve 
as assistant inspector of ordnance, being second in com- 
mand under Commodore Skinner. When a new navy 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 313 

yard was constructed on Mare's Island, near San Francisco, 
he was placed in command of that post, though then 
standing the nineteenth on the list. In 1S58 he was pro- 
moted to the command of the steam sloop of war Brooklyn, 
which formed a part of the home squadron under Flag 
Officer McCluney. He retained that position until the 
expedition destined for the capture of New Orleans was 
determined on, when he was chosen from among a host of 
brave and skillful men as its flag officer, to lead it to 
victory. The eminent success with which he fulfilled his 
important mission, proved the wisdom and prudence of 
the selection. 

Almost cotemporaneous with this important conquest, 
the value of which could scarcely be overrated, another 
brilliant triumph graced the Federal arms in a different 
direction. After a vigorous bombardment of ten hours. 
Fort Macon, situated on the coast of North Carolina, 
near Beaufort and Newbern, surrendered to the assail- 
ants. On the 25th of March, General Burnside, having 
completed his arrangements for the attack and conquest 
of this fort, ordered General Parke to occupy Moorehead 
city, and the railroad between that place and Newbern, 
with the division under his command. The order was 
obeyed, and a few days afterward Bogue Island, opposite 
Carolina city, was also taken possession of. The latter 
position was most favorable for the commencement 
of operations against Fort Macon, and a camp was 
there established. On the 11th of April active opera- 
tions began ; the fifth Khode Island regiment drove in the 
Rebel pickets, and Captain Williamson proceeded to 
select positions for the besieging batteries These having 
been chosen with great skill, the troops were set to work 
to construct the entrenchments. The enemy, having 
discovered the unwelcome activity of the Federal forces, 



344 A HISTORY OF 

continually annoyed them with their artillery. But as 
the precise position of the latter was somewhat screened 
from view, the execution produced by their salutes was 
unimportant. The troops employed in this service were 
the fourth and fifth Rhode Island and the eighth Con- 
necticut regiments. By the 24th of April, all the 
batteries were completed, and on the same day General 
Burnside arrived at the scene of conflict from Newbern. 
He brought with him two barges, the Grenade and 
Shrapnel, which had been fitted up as a floating battery, 
and had been armed with several thirty pound Parrot 
guns. These were placed at anchor about three miles 
from the fort. Before commencing the bombardment 
General Burnside sent a flag of truce to the enemy, with 
a final demand of surrender. On the next raorninor, the 
25th, that demand was refused. 

On the 26th, after having given the Rebels a few hours 
to reconsider their answer, without a favorable result, the 
Federal batteries opened their fire. These consisted of 
three breastworks, situated within a mile of the fort, on 
Bogue beach. One of them mounted three thirty pound 
Parrot guns, and was commanded by Captain Morris, of 
the first United States artillery. The second was posted 
two hundred yards distant, containing four ten inch 
mortar batteries, commanded by Lieutenant Flagler, 
chief of ordnance on General Burnside's staff. The third 
mounted four eight inch mortar guns, was situated to the 
right of the first named battery, and was commanded by 
Lieutenant Prouty, The bombardment began at six 
o'clock on the morning of the 26th, and continued without 
intermission during the day. At first the larger guns 
failed to obtain the proper range of the fort, and their 
shells fell beyond the mark. Soon, however, this error 
was corrected ; the signal corps of Lieutenants Andrews 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 345 

and Wait, who were posted at Beaufort, having discovered 
the defect, and signaled to the batteries to lower their 
aim. Then the eflfect of the guns was decisive. Three 
or four shells would be seen exploding at the same 
moment within the fort, or upon the parapets. At the 
same time the gunboats which accompanied the expedi- 
tion assisted in the work. Four of these bore up bravely 
toward the fort, and added their destructive salutes to 
those of the land batteries. During this interval the 
Rebel garrison were not inactive. They replied with 
energy, and with no inconsiderable skill. A sixty-four 
pound ball struck the gunboat Daylight on her star- 
board quarter, passed through the engine room, the 
officers' mess room, the captain's state room, and at length 
lodged in the side of the vessel. A portion of the rigging 
of the Gerasbok was shot away; and other minor 
casualties occurred. So terrible was the bombardment 
on both sides, that the buildings in Beaufort and Moor- 
head city were shaken in a perceptible degree ; and the 
reverberation of the guns was heard for many miles 
^ around. 

But in spite of their valiant resistance, it soon began 
to be evident that the strength and energy of the Rebel 
garrison were diminishing. Some of their guns had 
been dismounted. Before twelve o'clock they were 
driven entirely from the external battery, on the terrace 
on the outside of the walls, and were compelled to retire 
to their barbette guns. From this period their firing 
diminished in rapidity. They were evidently becoming 
exhausted ; while the efforts of the besiegers constantly 
increased in vigor and determination. The shot and shell 
of the latter could be seen dashing through the broken 
walls of the fort, and exploding within and around it. 
At twenty* minutes past four o'clock a flag of truce waved 



846 A HISTORY OF 

from the battlements, and the firing ceased on both sides. 
General Parke was sent for, for the purpose of holding 
an interview with Colonel White, the commandant of 
Fort Macon ; between whom an armistice was agreed 
upon until the next day. Then the surrender of the fort 
and garrison was formally made to General Burnside. 
Twelve hundred shot and shell had been discharged by 
the three Federal batteries during the siege. Fifteen of 
the Eebel guns had been disabled. Their loss was seven 
killed and eighteen wounded ; the Federal loss was one 
killed and two wounded. The fort had mounted forty-eight 
guns of various sizes. By the terms of the capitulation 
it was agreed that the fort, the armament, and the garrison 
should be surrendered to the United States ; that the 
ofl&cers and men should be released on their parole of 
honor not again to take up arms against the United 
States, until regularly exchanged ; and that they should 
carry with them their private effects, their arms excepted. 
The fort was then garrisoned by a detachment of Federal 
troops, the stars and stripes were unfurled to the breeze, 
and another conquest over the forces of the Rebel States 
was added to the triumphs of the defenders of the Union, 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



» 1 7 



CHAPTER XXI. 



OPERATIONS OF GENERAL MCCLKLLAN AT YORKTO'WN — BATTLE OF LEE'S 
MILL — DISASTER AND RETREAT OF THE FEDERAL TROOPS — EVACUATION 
OF YORKTOWN BY THE REBELS — MOTIVES OF THAT MOVEMENT — PURSUIT 
BY THE FEDERALS ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN CAVALRY NEAR WILLIAMS- 
BURG SECOND CONFLICT NEAR WILLIAMSBURG INCIDENTS OF THE 

BATTLE — GENERAL HOOKEr'S DIVISION — BRILLIANT CHARGE OF GENE- 
RAL HANCOCK FEDERAL VICTORY SKETCH OF GENERAL HANCOCK 

BATTLE AT WEST POINT INCIDENTS OF THE CONTEST — EFFICIENCY OF 

THE FEDERAL ARTILLERY ROUT OF THE REBELS BOMBARDMENT OF 

SEWALL's POINT ITS RESULTS — EXPEDITION OF GENERAL WOOL 

AGAINST NORFOLK — ITS SURRENDER — OPERATIONS OF GENERAL FRE- 
MONT IN THE MOUNTAIN DEPARTMENT — MCDOWELL'S DIVISION AT 
FREDERICKSBURG — ROUT OF COLONEL MORGAN IN TENNESSEE — INCI- 
DENTS OF THE CHASE — BOMBARDMENT OF FORT WRIGHT COMMENCED — 
ENGAGEMENT OF THE FEDERAL GUNBOATS AT FORT DARLING ON JAMES 

RIVER ITS INCIDENTS AND RESULTS STEADY ADVANCE OF MCCLKL- 

LAN's army TOWARD RICHMOND IT CROSSES THE CHICKAHOMINY 

VARIOUS SKIRMISHES — DECISIVE ENGAGEMENT ANTICIPATED — GENERAL 
hunter's ABOLITION PROCLAMATION— PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S POLICY 
RESPECTING IT. 

While General Banks was driving the Rebel forces 
under Jackson through the valley of the Shenandoah 
toward Woodstock and Harrisonburg, General McDowell, 
with another corps of the divided army of the Potomac, 
was approaching Fredericksburg, which lay on a different 
route to Richmond, Cotemporaneous with these move- 
ments, and in concert with them, important operations 
were progressing under McClellan at Yorktown, The 
fortifications which the Rebels had constructed to defend 
that place were extensive and strong ; and it became the 
employment of the Federal army during some days to 



848 A HISTORY OF 

erect opposing works, which, b}^ their superior formation 
and their greater strength, would command them. This 
laborious task had been progressing with vigor under the 
direction of General McClellan ; the most skillful engi- 
neering had already produced the most formidable re- 
sults; when, on the 16th of April, 1862, a collision took 
place between portions of the hostile armies. The Eebels 
had erected a fort at Lee's Mill, about eight miles south 
of Yorktown, on the Warwick river, which they had 
manned with a number of guns. The special purpose 
of this fort was to protect the road leading to this mill, 
which passed a few hundred yards in front of it. In 
advance of this fort there was a bog several hundred feet 
wide, and above the bog, a large dam. It was necessary 
to reduce this fort, and to expel the Rebels from its pos- 
session. Accordingly, at nine o'clock on the morning 
of the 16th, Captain Mott placed his battery within range, 
and commenced the bombardment. The Rebels re- 
sponded with spirit. The engagement continued for an 
hour. During its progress three of the guns of the 
enemy were silenced. They then ceased to fire, and 
evacuated the fort. The Federal sharpshooters were 
immediately sent forward to reconnoitre, and to ascertain 
what had become of the garrison. They had wholly 
withdrawn from the field ; and all remained quiet until 
about four o'clock. At that time a body of Rebel troops 
appeared in possession of another breastwork at some 
distance, on which they had mounted several guns. 
Again Mott's battery was brought to bear upon them, 
and the firing during half an hour was continuous. Soon 
the third, fourth, fifth and sixth Yermont regiments were 
ordered to advance against the Rebels, who were seen to 
be occupying the woods adjacent to the fort in large 
numbers. The Green Mountain boys rushed forward 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 349 

bravely to the charge, wading through a bog several 
hundred feet wide, sometimes to their knees, sometimes 
to their waists in mud and water. Having passed this 
obstruction without flinching, they advanced and sud- 
denly encountered a line of concealed rifle-pits. They fired 
into these, and their occupants quickly fled. They then 
advanced again, and met another line of these concealed 
and deadly man-traps. The Yermonters sent a second 
volley among their occupants ; while Mott's battery, 
which had also reached the scene of action, delivered a 
number of shell and canister among them with immense 
effect. 

But at this stage of the action the retreating Eebels 
were reinforced by numerous accessions ; and the Federal 
troops receiving no assistance, were compelled to fall 
back. During their advance the enemy had opened the 
dam, and had flooded the bog, by which means it had 
become covered with several additional feet of water. 
A number of the wounded in passing through it, sank 
exhausted in the mud, and were strangled to death. 
Others, while slowly retreating, were shot by the 
pursuing Rebels, fell and expired in the swampy waste. 
In vain seven companies of the sixth Vermont turned 
heroically on the foe, and made every effort to cover the 
retreat of their comrades. Overwhelming numbers gave 
the enemy a resistless advantage. At length all except 
the wounded and the dying reached a position of safety, 
and the battle ended. The Federal loss in this disaster 
was forty-four killed, one hundred wounded and missing. 
The loss of the Rebels is unknown ; although appear- 
ances indicated that they paid dearly for their temporary 
and inconsiderable victory. 

Meanwhile preparations for the general assault of 
Yorktown proceeded with energy. To the astonishment. 



850 A HISTORY OF 

however, of the Federal troops and eventuall}'- of tlie 
■whole nation, the vast army which the Kebels had as- 
sembled at that place, suddenly evacuated all their works 
before dayliglit on the 4th of Ma}', 1862, and commenced 
their line of retreat toward Richmond. During the pre- 
ceding night they had kept up a heavy firing till after 
midniglit; at that time it suddenly ceased; they then 
commenced to dismount their guns, and prepared to 
retire. The first intimation which the Federal com- 
manders received of the retreat of the enemy, was when 
the Federal pickets reconnoitered their position on the 
morning of the 4th ; and cautiously advancing, found the 
entrenchments entirely deserted. The news spread Avith 
rapidity along the whole Federal line. The regimental 
bands commenced to play, filling the air with sweet 
exultant melodies. General McClellan issued an order 
to prepare to follow th^ enemy instantly, each man 
provided with two days' rations. About eight o'clock 
on the morning of the 4th all was ready, and the pursuit 
began toward AVilliamsburg, on the heels of the flying 
Rebels. The first and sixth cavalry, with four batteries 
of artillery, led the advance under the orders of General 
Stoneman. ' 

The evacuation of Yorktown by the Rebel army was 
•one of the most important and singular events of the 
war. It had evidently been the original intention of the 
Rebel chiefs, to defend that position to the last extremity ; 
and they had assembled there for that purpose sixt}'' or 
seventy thousand men, commanded by Generals John- 
ston, Lee, and AlcGruder. It is a probable conjecture 
that the most potent consideration which induced them 
to withdraw from a position which they had so carefully 
fortified, was that they might encounter the Federal 
army at a safe distance from the Federal gunboats on the 



THE SOUTH EBN BEBELLION. Sol 

York river. The painful lesson tauglit them at Pitts- 
burg Landing had not been forgotten. It is also proba- 
ble that they hoped by a single decisive victory nearer 
to the Rebel capital, to break the strength of the Federal 
army in the Peninsula. The trophies which they left 
behind them at Yorktown were not inconsiderable, con- 
si.sting of seventy -one cannon of various calibre, with 
their carriages and implements complete, and several 
magazines. Without stopping in the deserted works, the 
Federal army pressed forward, through a desolated 
country, in the wake of the retreating RebeLs. About 
two miles from Williamsburg the Federal advance under 
General Stonernan, encountered their rear guard, on the 
afternoon of the 4th of May; and a vigorous engagement 
ensued. Just as the Federal advance, emerging from the 
woods, obtained the first glimpse of Williamsburg, they 
also saw the Rebel rear guard. A regiment of cavalry 
was seen approaching in line of battle about a mile 
distant. Captain Gibson's battery was immediately 
ordered to the front, to open upon them as they ad- 
vanced. At the same time a portion of the sixth United 
States cavalry were deployed as skirmishers to the right 
and left. Notwithstanding the havoc produced by the 
battery on the Confederate squadrons, they continued 
steadily to advance. As they did so, % fire was opened 
on the Federals from an earthwork to the right, which 
had seemed to be deserted. At that crisis portions of 
the finst and sixth cavalry were ordered to charge upon 
the Rebel horse. The order was executed in an admira- 
ble manner. A desperate hand-to-hand fight ensued, 
during which the enemy broke and fled. The pursuit 
was not continued for any distance on account of the 
absence of the infantry. After the close of the action, 
the Rebel troops continued their line of retreat toward 



352 A HISTORY OF 

Williamsburg, General Ilancock's brigade arrived at 
the scene of conflict soon afterward ; but further opera- 
tions were postponed for the present. The Federal loss 
in this engagement was two killed and twenty wounded. 

But a conflict of much greater importance and extent 
impended at "Williamsburg. The Rebels had determined 
not to permit the Federal troops to occupy that place 
without a struggle. Accordingly, on the morning of 
Monday, May 5th, as General Hooker's division ap- 
proached the breastworks whicli the enemy had erected 
in the vicinity of the town, their guns opened upon the 
Federal troops with great fury. The approach to these 
works lay through a series of ravines and swamps, which 
rendered the operations of the Union forces extremely 
difficult. The Rebel batteries were supported by a very 
numerous body of troops commanded by General Joseph 
E. Johnson. Nevertheless, their assailants marched for- 
ward to the combat with an admirable spirit, which gave 
the assurance of ultimate success. 

The battle began at seven o'clock in the morning, 
when three brigades of the enemy assailed a portion of 
the division of General Hooker. General Grover's 
brigade was the first which encountered them. It con- 
sisted of the first and eleventh Massachusetts, the second 
New Hampshire, the twenty-sixth Pennsylvania, with a 
regular battery. The remainder of General Hooker's 
division acted as a reserve. The contest continued 
during the entire day, and was marked by various and 
often painful vicissitudes. At one time the ammunition 
of the Federal troops became exhausted, and the enemy 
had nearly gained possession of their batteries before a 
fresh supply could be brought forward. At that crisis 
the Rebels succeeded in spiking several of the Federal 
guns, though these were afterward retaken. The most 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 353 

important and decisive operation of the day was a bril- 
liant and skillful movement of General Hancock, by 
which he succeeded in turning the left of the line of the 
enemy. From that moment the resistance of the Eebels 
became less vigorous, and their ultimate defeat inevitable. 
Toward the close of the day the division of General 
Kearney reached the scene of conflict, and joined in the 
engagement. During its progress Generals Heintzelman, 
Hooker, and Frank Patterson had their horses shot 
under them. The Eebels fought on this occasion with a 
great preponderance of numbers and advantage of 
position, over the Federals ; but the nature of the ground 
was such as to render it impossible for a larger body of 
the latter to be brought into the action. The operations 
of Hancock's brigade, which decided the fortunes of the 
day, were specially worthy of admiration. The furious 
bayonet charges which they made on the enemy proved 
resistless. The havoc in their lines became terrible; 
they at length broke and retired in a general and 
tumultuous retreat. They left nearly seven hundred of 
their dead upon the field. The Federal troops then 
pressed on, and occupied their deserted position. The 
loss of the Union forces was three hundred killed and 
six hundred wounded. When darkness spread over the 
sanguinary scene, the routed foe was .hastening forward 
toward the banks of the Chickahominy, and the exultant 
victors in that hard contest were resting from the toils 
and achievements of the day. 

The chief hero of this engagement was General Win- 
field Scott Hancock. This gallant officer was born in 
Pennsylvania in 1823. He entered West Point in 184:0,, 
and graduated in that institution in June, 1844. Amon^ 
his classmates was Simon Bolivar Buckner, the Ecbcl 
general who held a command and was captured at Forfc 
23 



354 



A HISTORY OF 



Donelson. Hancock at once received the rank of brevet 
second lieutenant in the fourth United States infantry ; 
and in June, 1846, he obtained his commission as full 
second lieutenant in the same regiment. He served with 
honor during the Mexican war, and distinguished him- 
self at the battles of Contreras and Gherubusco. For his 
meritorious conduct on those occasions he was brevetted 
first lieutenant, his brevet bearing date August 20th, 
1847, Subsequently he became regimental quarter- 
master and adjutant of the sixth United States infantry. 
The ranks of full first lieutenant and of captain were 
bestowed upon him in 1853 and 1855. The Eebellion, 
at its birth, found him an assistant in the quartermaster 
general's department. He was then appointed a briga- 
dier general of volunteers, and served in the army of the 
Potoma>c under McClellan, from the period of the eleva- 
tion of that of&cer to its chief command. The brilliant 
victory of Williamsburg afterward placed him among 
the prominent heroes of the war. 

Almost cotemporaneous with the engagement at Wil- 
liamsburg, was the attack and defeat of the Eebels at 
West Point on the York river. On the afternoon of the 
6th of May, that portion of the army of the Potomac 
which was under the command of General Franklin 
arrived at West Point in transports, for the purpose of 
disembarking and forming a junction with the troops 
under General McClellan. During that day about twenty 
thousand men were transferred to the shore, on the south 
side of the Pamunkey river, at the distance of half a mile 
from the town. The troops immediately pitched their 
tents and formed their camp. During the ensuing night 
some of the Eebel pickets attacked the Federal videttes ; 
which event gave evidence, or at least created a suspi- 
cion, that the enemy were posted somewhere in the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 355 

vicinity. General Franklin, expecting an assault the 
next morning, ordered the troops to be nnder arms at 
break of day ; but after standing in line of battle for 
some time and no foe appearing, the men were permitted 
to return to their camp. Soon, however, several regi- 
ments of Rebels appeared in the distance, toward the 
west side of the river. Orders were then given to the 
sixteenth, the thirty-first, and the thirty-second New York, 
the ninety-fifth and the ninety-sixth Pennsylvania regi- 
ments, to form and to advance against the foe. It soon 
appeared that the latter were posted and concealed in 
large numbers in the woods in front ; and from every 
portion of the shady and tangled retreat of the enemy, a 
destructive fire of musketry was now discharged upon 
the approaching Federals. The fifth Maine regiment led 
the advance upon the left, into the woods, with superior 
steadiness and gallantry; the thirty-second New York 
achieved the same service upon the right. During three 
hours the engagement continued with great spirit. It 
became evident, however, at length that the larger 
numbers of the Rebels were giving them the advantage; 
when the Federal cannon were opportunely brought to 
bear upon them. These soon effectually retrieved the 
fortunes of the day. The second Ulited States artillery, 
under Captain Arnold, was ordered forward into position 
on the right; the first Massachusetts battery, under 
Captain Porter, advanced and unlimbered on the left, 
and both commenced to shell the enemy. They dis- 
charged about ten shells per minute, which, bursting 
among the serried and partially concealed ranks of the 
foe, scattered death on every side. The Rebels then 
transferred their troops further to the left of the Federal 
lines ; when the gunboats on the river, which were thus 
brought within range, unexpectedly opened their bat- 



856 A HISTORY OF 

teries upon them with still more deadly results. Soon 
the enemy fled in confusion, totally broken and routed. 
The salutes of the artillery from these several directions 
were insupportable, and quickly terminated the engage- 
ment. In the battle of West Point the Federal loss was 
about twenty killed and eighty wounded. That of the 
enemy is unknown, but it was probably much greater. 

After the conclusion of the engagement, General 
Franklin immediately sent a dispatch to General McClel- 
lan, informing him of the progress of events on the York 
river, and concerting measures with him for the union of 
their forces. This result was afterward successfully 
accomplished, and their united army then steadily 
advanced toward Richmond. 

On the 8th of May a squadron of Federal war steamers 
consisting of the Monitor, Naugatuck, Susquehanna, 
Dacotah, Seminole, the Stevens and San Jacinto, was 
placed by Commodore Goldsborough under the orders 
of Captain Lardner, for the purpose of bombarding the 
Rebel forts at Sewall's Point. The design of this attack 
was to ascertain the possibility of landing a body of 
troops in that vicinity, as well as to reduce the forts. 
The orders given were, that the wooden vessels should 
attack the Rebel works in enfilade^ and that the iron Moni- 
tor, together with the Stevens, should advance nearer and 
operate against them in front. Accordingly, the vessels 
already named sailed toward Sewall's point, and having 
arrived within range opened their batteries with shot and 
shell against the enemy. The position of the Monitor 
was in advance of the other vessels. The bombardment 
commenced about noon. For half an hour' no response 
was made from the Rebel works ; a number of shots were 
then fired at the Federal vessels, nob one of which 
reached its aim. At half-past two the Merrimac steamed 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 357 

out from Norfolk, with the apparent intention of attack- 
ing the Monitor. But no such result followed. During 
the day all the Federal vessels took part in the bombard- 
ment, either of Sewall's Point or of Craney Island. As 
often as the Monitor advanced to engage the Merrimac, 
she steamed away toward Norfolk. It was thus impossi- 
ble to bring her within range or to engage her. During 
the day the flag-staff at Sewall's Point was twice shot 
away; and the Kebels could be distinctly seen from the 
Federal vessels, carrying off their dead and wounded. 
At five o'clock Commodore Goldsborough signalled to 
the Union ships to return to Fortress Monroe. The 
chief purpose of the demonstration had been accomplished, 
It had elicited the fact that the number of Q-uns in the 
principal fort at Sewall's Point had been reduced to 
seventeen, and that the garrison stationed there was so 
small as to be quite unimportant. During the action, 
the barracks attached to the fort had been set on firej 
and were considerably damaged. All the Eebel guns on 
Craney Island were silenced. So accurate was the firing 
from the Seminole and other vessels, that the breast- 
works were in some places levelled with the ground, and 
the sand and earth were seen flying in fragments over the 
tree tops in the rear. On the 9th of May the Eebels 
evacuated the forts at Sewall's Point, and retired to 
Norfolk, as the ultimate result of the assault of the 
Federal fleet. 

Their abode in Norfolk was destined to be of short 
duration. On the 10th of May General Wool commenced 
his march from Fortress Monroe to operate against that 
city. He landed five thousand troops at Willoughby 
Point, and by five o'clock in the afternoon the Federal 
forces had reached the vicinity of Norfolk. A desperate 
defense was anticipated from General Huger, who com- 



358 A HISTORY OF 

manded the rebel troops in that city. This expectatioa 
was agreeably disappointed. Early on the 10th he 
evacuated the place, after having set on fire and blown 
up the famous battering ram Merrimac, that it might not 
fall into the hands of the victors. As General Wool 
approached Norfolk he was met by a deputation of 
citizens headed by the Mayor, who formally surrendered 
the city and the navy yard to the Federal authorities. 
General Viele was placed in command as military gover- 
nor, and orders were given for the protection of persons 
and property. General Wool, who had been accompa- 
nied by Secretary Chase, returned to Fortress Monroe 
during the following night. The possession of Norfolk 
necessitated that also of Portsmouth, which was likewise 
returned to its legitimate masters. 

The recovery of these places, which had been seized 
and so long occupied by the forces of the Eebel govern- 
ment, was an important event in the progress of the war. 
Thus from day to day the Eebellion was curtailed of its 
monstrous and hideous proportions, and thus the triumphs 
of the arms of the Union were enlarged and extended. 

While these events were taking place in the vicinity 
of Hampton Eoads, events of minor interest were 
occurring in other portions of the country. General 
Fremont, who was in command of the Mountain Depart- 
ment, occupied ijo sinecure; although his proceedings, 
from the nature of the case, glared less obtrusively upon 
the attention of the general public. The men under his 
command were required to engage the enemy from time 
to time in a novel kind of warfare, not inappropriately 
termed Guerilla fia;hting. Rovinsj bands of Rebels 
infested the rugged region over which his jurisdiction 
extended, who often attacked his men by stealth, and 
rendered their operations difficult and dangerous. On 



THE SOUTHEEN EEBELLION. 359 

tlie 8tli of May General Milroy was assailed near 
Petersburg by a portion of the Rebel troops under 
" Stonewall" Jackson. During the action General Schenck 
fortunately reached the scene of conflict with his com- 
mand, after a forced march of thirty-four miles, and the 
enemy were routed. The Federal loss was five killed 
and seventy wounded. About the same period General 
Kelly encountered the Eebels at Spencer, and after a 
spirited contest, in which a number of the enemy were 
killed and wounded,, compelled them to retreat, and to 
disperse among the mountains. In Alabama the triumph 
of the Union arms, under the guidance of General 
Mitchell, continued with undiminished eclat. On the 
13th of May he dispatched General Negley, supported 
by Colonel Little's troops, from Pulaski to Rogersville, 
in northern Alabama, for the purpose of driving the 
enemy across the Tennessee river and destroying their 
ferry boats. The Rebels fled at the approach of the 
Federal troops ; the latter obtained possession of the 
bridge across Shad Creek, and of the ferry below the 
mouth of that stream. The result of these operations 
was, that more than a thousand Rebel cavalry were 
enclosed on one side of the river, were cut off from all 
possibility of escape, and were so hemmed in as soon to 
fall inevitably into the power of the forces under General 
Mitchell. 

The triumphant progress of the Federal arms at this 
period was illustrated with striking effect by a proclama- 
tion which was issued by President Lincoln, in which he 
ordered the opening of the chief Southern ports, which, 
since the commencement of the Rebellion, had been 
sealed to the commerce and intercourse of the world, by 
the presence and agency of the Union war-steamers. On 
the 12th of May the ports of Beaufort, Port Royal, and 



860 



A HISTORY OF 



New Orleans were thus tlirown open, as an evidence of 
the reinstated supremacy of the Federal Government in 
those recent centres of Kebel power and treason. 

The important division of troops which was com- 
manded by General McDowell, continued to advance, by 
steady marches, due south from Manassas, toward Eich- 
mond ; and having at length reached Fredericksburg, 
permanently occupied it. On the 11th of May a skirmish 
took place between a small number of his cavalry, who 
were scouting at the distance of four miles from the town, 
and a body of Rebels who were stationed and concealed 
in the woods. General Patrick, being informed that 
these men were attacked by a superior force of the 
enemy, ordered his brigade to advance at a double quick 
pace to the scene of conflict. The arrival of this rein- 
forcement was opportujie ; the Rebels then fled without 
offering any further resistance, losing eleven of their 
infantry and three of their cavalry as prisoners. 

Amonar minor enffa<]:ements of the class to which we 
are now referring, none were more spirited, or exhibited 
the bravery of the Union troops to better advantage, than 
the battle between cavalry which took place at Lebanon, 
Tennessee, on the 7th of May. The Rebel Colonel 
Morgan had become notorious in that region of the 
countr}'-, as the commander of a desperate band of 
mounted rangers and brigands, by whose means he had 
committed many depredations on the property of loyal 
citizens, and on the baggage and provision trains of the 
Union forces. General Dumont at Nashville, and Colonel 
DufEield at Murfreesboro, were ordered to combine their 
troops and attack him. The crafty Rebel attempted in 
various ways, and by numerous artifices, to elude the 
search of the Federal commanders ; and a protracted 
hunt took place before they found him. At length he 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 361 

entrenched himself in the town of Lebanon, with eight 
hundred cavalry ; and there he was attacked by them. 
A desperate street fight ensued. Morgan and his men 
were driven from the town. A running battle then 
comme.nced, which continued for nearly twenty miles. 
A hundred and sixty Eebel prisoners were taken. Many 
were killed and wounded during the pursuit. At last 
Morgan^ his band being reduced to only fifteen men, 
succeeded in crossing the Cumberland river on a flat 
boat. Not till then did the chase terminate. A more 
complete and thorough rout had not taken place since 
the commencement of the Eebellion, 

During the occurrence of these events a great naval 
assault had been progressing against Fort Wright, on the 
Mississippi river, in Tennessee. A large number of 
Federal gunboats, under the orders of the gallant Flag 
Officer Foote, had been directed to attack that fortress. 
He was assisted in the command by Captain C. H. Davis, 
of the United States Navy. The bombardment had been 
progressing with various incidents and vicissitudes from 
the 8th of May. The Rebel works were protected by a 
formidable force of gunboats and battering rams, com- 
manded by Commodore Hollins, which attacked the 
Federal vessels with marvelous ferocity and frequency. 
It was not until a later period, and aft&r a very protracted 
bombardment, that the contest was ended by the com- 
plete evacuation of the fort, and its surrender to the 
Federal commander and his heroic troops. 

It was on the James river, at Fort Darling, situated 
eight miles below Richmond, that, on the 15th of May, 
the Federal cause received the first reverse which it had 
suffered for a considerable period of time. On that day 
the gunboats Monitor, Galena, Aroostook, Port Royal, and 
Naugatuck, having reached the position already named, 



862 A HISTORY OF 

on their way toward the Eebel capital, for the purpose 
of cooperating with the army of the Potomac, suddenly 
encountered a fierce and formidable assault from the 
Eebel batteries which had been erected upon Ward's 
Bluff. At this point the stream makes an abrupt turn, 
and contracts its proportions. It thus rendered the 
batteries placed upon its banks more effective. At the 
foot of the bluff obstructions had been placed in the river, 
consisting of sunken vessels secured by chains, which 
effectually terminated the further advance of the gunboats. 
The fortifications on the shore were placed on ground 
two hundred feet above the surface of the river, and a 
body of Rebel troops were posted in the vicinity, to assist 
the attack on the gunboats. The latter having been 
anchored about a thousand yards from the batteries, a 
desperate engagement immediately commenced. The 
guns of the enemy poured down an incessant hailstorm 
of shot upon the decks of the Federal vessels, and 
seriously damaged them. The latter responded with 
great spirit, but it soon became evident that the disad- 
vantages of their situation were quite insurmountable. 
It was found impossible to elevate the guns of the Monitor 
to the unusual range required by the high position of 
the batteries, and therefore she was very nearly rendered 
useless. She was struck three times on her turret and 
twice upon her sides. The only effect produced by the 
balls was to bend the iron plates of the vessel. The 
Naug-atuck suffered a much more serious disaster. After 

O 

delivering several effective shots, her immense one hun- 
dred pound rifled Parrot gun burst, killing the gunner and 
wounding two men. The rest of her armament consisted 
of two boarding howitzers, which, in such a contest, were 
of little consequence. The casualties on the Galena were 
still more serious. The shots of the Rebel batteries 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 363 

riddled her deck with ease, and several of their balls 
penetrated her side. Fourteen of her crew were killed 
and thirteen wounded. The narrowness of the channel 
at this point, which prevented this vessel from turning, 
so as to work to advantage, rendered her a helpless mai-k 
for the enemy. The other gunboats were not seriously 
injured. The action continued nearly five hours; after 
which time the uselessness of further effort being apparent, 
the boats dropped down the river to their former 
anchorage. The entire Federal loss was fifteen killed 
and sixteen wounded. 

This check did not delay for a moment the steady 
progress of the Federal forces under General McClellan 
toward Eichmond. On the 20th of May the advance 
under Stoneman reached New Bridge, eight miles distant 
from that city, driving the pickets of the enemy before 
them. The Rebels were no longer found in force on that 
side of the Chickahominy creek, which there becomes an 
insignificant stream. On the 21st a large portion of the 
troops crossed it at Bottom's bridge and at the Railroad 
bridge, and occupied a position a mile and a half beyond. 
On the 23d several skirmishes took place between 
portions of the two armies, in one of which the Rebels 
were driven from Mechanicsville, six miles from New 
bridge; and in another, the famous X-o^isiana Tigers 
were dreadfully cut up by the fourth Michigan regiment. 
Other skirmishes subsequently occurred at different 
points along the hostile lines, in which the Federal forces 
usually gained the advantage. These comparatively 
insignificant operations were viewed as merely prelimi- 
nary to the colossal and decisive engagements which 
were expected to take place between the rival hosts, in 
the vicinity of the Rebel capital ; which, with some 
probability of truth and reason, were regarded as the 



S64: A HISTORY OF 

final arbiters of the fate of the Confederate government, 
and were expected to prove mortal blows to their already- 
exhausted and expiring empire. 

A few days previous to the events which have just 
been narrated, the attention of the nation was temporarily 
diverted from the exclusive scrutiny of scenes of blood 
and conflict, by a proclamation which was issued by 
Major General David Hunter, then commanding the 
Department of the South, by which he assumed the re- 
sponsibility of declaring the States of Georgia, Florida, 
and South Carolina under martial law ; at the same time 
affirming that, as slavery and martial law were incompa- 
tible, he pronounced all those persons who had formerly 
been held to slavery in those States thenceforth forever 
free. This bold and sweeping proclamation elicited 
different judgments from the public, according to their 
previously entertained opinions ; some commending it, 
while others censured it. Whatever might have been 
the abstract merit and virtue of the measure, it did not 
harmonize with the more conservative and moderate 
sentiments of President Lincoln ; who, on the 19th of 
May issued a counter proclamation, repudiating the act 
of General Hunter as unauthorized, and setting forth that 
he, the President, by virtue of the authority vested in him, 
reserved to himself the right to determine whether he 
possessed the power to declare the slaves in any of the 
States free ; and whether, provided he possessed that 
power, it would ever become necessary to the mainte- 
nance and preservation of the Federal Government, for 
him to exercise it. At the same time the Chief Execu- 
tive set forth, that he had on a previous occasion recom- 
mended that Congress should pass a joint resolution, by 
which the United States would be obliged to assist any 
State which might, of its own accord, resolve to abolish 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 865 

slavery within its limits ; giving it sucli pecuniary aid as 
might be necessary to enable it to execute such a 
purpose. That recommendation had been accepted and 
approved by the Federal Congress ; and it stood recorded 
in their proceedings as a solemn and authentic proposal 
from the nation to the slave States. Thus far and no 
farther did he deem it prudent and equitable then to de- 
termine or to legislate on the subject. The position thus 
assumed and maintained by Mr. Lincoln, received the 
approval of the majority of the inhabitants of the loyal 
States, who were not at that period in favor of any more 
radical or decisive measure in reference to the enfran- 
chisement of the victims of southern bondage. 



366 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER XXIL 

TIIK CORPS D'aRMEK of GENKRAL banks — IMPRUDENT REDUCTION OF ITS 
NUMBERS — THF, REBELS UNDER JACKSON ATTACK THE ADVANCE AT 

FRONT ROYAL DESIGN OF THE REBELS TO OVERPOWER BANKs' DIVISION 

THE LATTER ORDERS A GENERAL RETREAT TOWARD WINCHESTER 

VARIOUS ENGAGEMENTS ON THE ROUTE BATTLE AT. MIDDLETOWN 

ACTION ON THE MARCH TO WINCHESTER — BATTLE AT NEWTOWN — THE 

BATTLE OF WINCHESTER ITS RESULTS CONTINUANCE OF THE RETREAT 

TO WILLIAMSFORT ADVENTURES OF THE ZOUAVES d'aFRIQUE FEDE- 
RAL LOSSES DURING THE RETREAT — SKETCH OF GENERAL BANKS — AT- 
TITUDE OF THE FEDERAL AND REBEL ARMIES AT CORINTH — A GREAT 

BATTLE ANTICIPATED COMMENCEMENT OF THE ATTACK BY GENERAL 

HALLECK — ITS RESULTS — EVACUATION OF CORINTH BY THE REBELS — 

CAUSES OF THIS EVENT — AN EXTRAORDINARY SPECTACLE PURSUIT OF 

THE RETREATING FOE — A RECONNOISSANCE ON THE CIIICKAHOMIXY— 

SKIRMISH AT THE PINES THE BATTLE OF HANOVER COURT HOUSE 

DESTRUCTION- OF THE RICHMOND AND FREDERICKSBURG RAILROAD- 
GALLANT EXPLOIT OF LIEUTENANT DAVIS. 

That portion of the Federal forces which had been 
placed under the command of General Banks, had 
pursued the Rebels under General Jackson through the 
valley of the Shenandoah with steady and unvarying 
success as far as Strasburg, when on the 23d of May, 
1862, a sudden reverse overtook the victors. The corps 
of General Banks originally consisted of an ef&cient 
body, comprising three brigades. These had been 
reduced from time to time to less than half of their first 
proportions, through the occult influence of various causes, 
by sending large detachments to other commanders in 
the field. The result of this policy was, that General 
Banks was eventually placed in a critical position, in the 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLION. 367 

heart of a hostile country, and liable to be attacked at 
any moment by an enraged enemy with an overwhelmins: 
preponderance of numbers. The commander of the 
Kebels in that region was too shrewd and vigilant an 
officer not to discover the immense advantages which 
were thus unfortunately placed within his reach ; and he 
soon gave the friends of the Union ample cause to regret 
the energy and skill with which he improved the oppor- 
tunity of revenge and conquest which this indiscretion 
tendered him. 

On the 23d of May the advance guard of General 
Banks, which was stationed under Colonel Kenley at 
t'ront Eoyal, consisting of the first Maryland regiment, 
was suddenly attacked by the Rebels with great fury, and 
with an immense superiority of numbers. As soon as in- 
formation of this event reached the headquarters at Stras- 
burg, General Banks ordered a detachment of cavalry and 
a portion of his artillery forward to the support of Colonel 
Kenley ; but when it was ascertained soon afterward, that 
the troops of that officer had been wholly scattered by 
the avalanche which had descended upon them, and that 
the enemy, twenty-five thousand strong, were rushing on 
like a deluge, for the purpose of surrounding and crush- 
ing the comparatively weak force of General Banks, the 
reinforcements thus ordered forward were recalled. That 
commander quickly discerned the full extent of his 
danger ; and the novel and perilous crisis summoned all 
his rare powers of discrimination into immediate action. 
He perceived that, under the circumstances, only one of 
three lines of conduct was possible for him : He might 
advance with his whole force from Strasburg toward Front 
Royal, and attack the enemy on the flank. He might 
retire across Little North Mountain, and thus reach the 
Potomac on the west. He might retreat to Winchester; 



368 A HISTORY OF 

there preserve his communications with his original base 
of operations ; wait for reinforcements ; engage the ad- 
vancing enemy if necessary, or retreat to Williamsport 
as the event might demand. The objection to the first 
plan was fatal : his troops were too few to attack the 
augmented and greatly superior force which the Rebels 
had suddenly brought together at Front Royal. The 
argument against the second plan was equally potent : by 
it General Banks would have been compelled to abandon 
his whole train, consisting of five hundred wagons of 
ammunitions and stores. The third expedient alone was 
prudent and feasible ; for by a skillful retreat toward 
Winchester, and thence to the Potomac, the array might 
be saved from capture, his stores from total loss, and the 
cause of the Union from a greater disaster than any 
which had occurred since the commencement of the war. 
Accordingly, at three o'clock on the morning of the 
24th of May, the hurried dispositions for the retreat were 
made. Colonel Donnelly's brigade Avas ordered forward 
in the advance with the wagon trains. Colonel Gordon 
was placed in command of the bulk of the infantry in 
the centre. General Hatch, with nearly the whole of the 
cavalry, and six pieces of artillery, was charged with the 
protection of the rear. By nine o'clock all the arrange- 
ments were completed ; every man was at his post ; 
General Banks was ubiquitous over the whole line ; the 
last orders to march were given ; and then began one of 
the most masterly retreats which can be found recorded 
on the checkered pages of history. Soon the Rebel 
forces came rushing on in full pursuit. The long line of 
troops and wagons was winding its tedious way, like an 
immense anaconda, stretching between Strasburg and 
Middletown, when the enemy, passing the Federal troops 
by a circuitous rout, reached the front of the column and 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 369 

made an attack upon the heavy trains, and the troops 
which guarded them. The enemy had obtained posses- 
sion of the road at Middletown, for the purpose of inter- 
cepting the retreat; and now the fugitives from the front 
came running toward the rear in wild confusion, bringing 
the first tidings of the assault. The position and immedi- 
ate purpose of the Rebels being thus ascertained, Colonel 
Donnelly was instantly ordered forward with a body of 
troops to support the advance. He encountered the 
enemy in full force at Middletown, thirteen miles from 
Winchester. Colonel Knipe was directed, with the forty- 
sixth Pennsylvania, to attack the enemy posted in the 
woods on the right. He was supported by a portion of 
Cochran's New York battery and the twenty-eighth New 
York regiment. After a short though spirited contest 
the Rebels broke and fled. They were then pursued for 
more than two miles from the scene of action ; but as 
there seemed to be no visible end to the chase, the victors 
returned to the main column. As it was the purpose of 
General Banks to effect his return to Winchester, and not 
to win battles, except in so far as it was necessary to 
accomplish that result, he refused to waste valuable time 
in useless conquests. Thus Middletown was passed, and 
the heroic march was continued toward Winchester. 

It was now ascertained that the Rebels had taken 
another position, for the purpose of intercepting the 
Federal forces before they readied that city. General 
Ilatch, who still commanded the rear, was then ordered 
to advance with the greater part of his troops, leaving 
Colonel De Forrest to protect the rear. Hatch in vain 
attempted to join the Federal troops in front, being inter- 
cepted by the greater masses of the enemy ; he then 
moved to tlie left, and advanced by a pai-allel road 
toward Winchester. He found Colonel Gordon at New- 
2-i 



870 A HISTORY OF 

town, where lie effected a junction witk the main column. 
But six companies of the New York fifth under Colonel 
De Forrest, in the rear, were cut off by the enemy from 
the rest of the troops, and compelled to retreat to Stras- 
burg. At Newtown a spirited contest took place 
between a large body of the Rebels and a portion of the 
Federal troops commanded by Colonel Gordon, consist- 
ing of the second Massachusetts, the twenty-seventh 
Indiana, and the twenty-eighth New York. These 
troops attacked the Eebels with fury, drove them from 
the town, and the guns of the enemy were silenced by 
the Federal battery; but they found it impossible to 
effect a junction with the cavalry under General Hatch, 
or to recover the rear of the train which had been cut 
off. It was here that, as the Federal column continued 
their line of march, they were surrounded by numerous 
masses of the Rebel hordes, who repeatedly charged on 
them with cavalry, but were as often repulsed in solid 
squares, with all the gallantry and firmness of veterans. 
During these operations, the wagons which became 
disabled were burned from time to time, to prevent their 
contents from falling into the hands of the enemy ; while 
after each assault and each repulse, the line of march was 
quietly resumed. Many were wounded and slain on 
both sides ; and thus by slow stages the Federal forces 
approached, and finally reached Winchester. It was at 
this place that the most tragical scenes connected with 
this memorable and masterly retreat were destined to 
occur. 

The Rebels having concentrated twenty-five thousand 
men around the Federal forces as they lay in the vicinity 
of Winchester, commenced the attack at break of day on 
the 25th of May. The latter reposed upon their arms 
during their halt, and were ready at a moment's notice to 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 371 

receive the eneray. The right wing, commanded by 
Colonel Gordon, comprised the third brigade, and the 
men were protected to some extent from the fire of 
the foe by stone walls in the vicinity. Colonel Donnelly 
commanded the remainder of the infantry, which was 
posted on the left. General Hatch and the cavalry 
occupied the centre. The enemy commenced the engage- 
ment by an attack on the left of the Federal line. Here 
they suffered severely, and the advantage remained with 
the Federals. On the right the enemy were more numer- 
ously posted, and were more successful in their opera- 
tions. They attempted to turn the flank of the Federal 
troops upon the Berryville road. A portion of the latter 
then retreated, the Rebels pursued, and a confused flight 
through Winchester took place. The right wing followed 
in better order, and covered the retreat through the 
town. On the opposite side of AVinchester order was 
again restored, and the line of march resumed. This 
battle continued during five hours. In it about five 
thousand men, of all arms, had confronted and en- 
countered with honor twenty-five thousand. The Rebels 
gained few laurels by the combat. The retreat was then 
continued toward Martinsburg, the Federal troops march- 
ing in three parallel columns. Bach of these columns 
was protected by a rear guard, which repeatedly and 
defiantly skirmished with the Rebels. At Martinsburg 
the Federal troops halted two hours and a half; thus 
demonstrating that they were not making a panic-stricken 
or precipitate retreat. After that interval the march was 
resumed; and at six o'clock on the same day, they 
reached the banks of the Potomac* at Williamsport. 
They had traveled fifty-three miles in forty-eight hours. 
A small number of the wearied troops crossed the river 



872 A HISTORY OF 

during tlie night ; tlie remainder followed on tlie ensuing 
day. 

The Federal loss in this retreat was, under the circum- 
stances, a very small one. It was thirty-eight killed, 
one hundred and fifty-five wounded, seven hundred 
missing. All the Federal guns, sixteen in number, were 
saved. Out of a train of nearly five hundred wagons, 
only fifty- five were lost. Most of these were burned 
upon the road, because they had become wrecked, and 
not because they were abandoned to the enemy. Among 
the officers who especially distinguished themselves on 
this occasion was General A. S. Williams, commanding 
the division ; Colonels Donnelly and Gordon, command- 
ing the two brigades ; and General Hatch, the chief of 
cavalry. In the several engagements which took place 
during the retreat, not a few episodes occurred in which 
particular corps and single companies displayed the best 
and noblest qualities of the soldier. Our space forbids 
us to enumerate all of these. One of the most remarka- 
ble, which deserves special mention, was the eficape of 
the Zoudves tVAfrique, who had been the body guard of 
the comraander-in-chief. These men were selected to 
perform the dangerous duty of burning the bridges in 
the rear of the retreating column. They were com- 
manded by Captain Collis. When the overwhelming 
numbers of the enemy became evident, and it remained 
uncertain whether the Federal troops might not them- 
selves need the bridges by which to return, they aban- 
doned their task, pressed forward toward Winchester, and 
reached Middletown during the progress of the battle at 
that place. They there joined in the combat; but being 
only seventy in number, were overwhelmed by a vastly 
superior force, and compelled to retreat. They then 
pursued their march toward Winchester by a different 



THE SOUTHBEN EEBELLION. 373 

route. In tlie vicinity of that town they again en- 
countered the enemy, and were compelled to turn back. 
Unable to unite with the main column in consequence 
of this obstacle, they took an obscure path over the 
mountains, intending to cross the Potomac at Pan-Pan 
tunnel. At Bloomery Gap they learned that a numerous 
body of the enemy were posted ten miles in advance, 
directly on their route. They therefore turned to the 
right, and marched to Hancock, on the Potomac, a 
distance of thirty miles ; escaping many perils, exhausted 
by excessive labors which would have overtasked the 
strongest frames, and yet safely bringing with them 
thirty-five wagons loaded with valuable stores, which had 
been abandoned by the army near Middletown. 

As Xenophon, in a former and distant age, derived 
the chief glory of a life not otherwise undistinguished, 
from the skill and valor with which he conducted the 
retreat of the Ten Thousand Greeks, after the death of 
the younger Cyrus at the battle of Cunaxa, through Asia 
Minor to the welcome shores of the Euxine Sea ; so the 
greatest renown of General Banks will hereafter probably 
be derived from the ability with which he effected the 
escape of his division from the Rebel hordes at Stras- 
burg, and led it in safety to Williamsport. This Federal 
hero was born in Massachusetts, in Jaauary, 1816. His 
early education was limited to the meagre routine.of the 
common school ; and his earliest industry was expended 
in the labors of a cotton factory at Walthara. He after- 
ward aspired to the craft and mastered the mysteries of 
a machinist. While engaged in this pursuit, he gratified 
his desire for intellectual improvement, and occasionally 
delivered popular addresses before temperance meetings, 
literary lyceums, and political assemblies. He afterward 
assumed the editorship of a rural newspaper, and engaged 



n 



874 A HISTORY OF 

zealously in tlie political contests of tlie day. In 1849 
he was elected a member of the Massacliusetts House of 
Eepresentatives. In 1851 be was chosen the Speaker 
of that body. In the following year he was promoted to 
a seat in the Federal Congress. In 1854 he was re- 
elected to that position ; and was chosen, after a spirited 
contest of nearly two months duration, to preside over 
the deliberations of the House. In 1857 he was elected 
Governor of Massachusetts ; and he performed the duties 
of that important office with eminent ability and success. 
The high reputation which he had gained for capacity, 
energy and integrity, turned the special regard of the 
administration upon him when the Eebellion broke forth ; 
and when a selection was to be made of some of the 
wisest and best men in the nation, to fill the offices of 
greatest responsibility in the military service of the 
country, tho once obscure cotton weaver of Waltham' 
was invested with the dignity and rank of major general 
in the Federal army. He was placed in command of a 
portion of the troops on the Potomac, and during many 
months evinced his fitness for his new sphere, by guard- 
ing a part of that river and the territory lying adjacent 
from the inroads of the Eebels. When at last the nation 
was gratified by the announcement that the march toward 
Bichmond was about to commence. General Banks led 
his forces into the bowels of the hostile land. We have 
elsewhere recorded the subsequent success which attended 
his movements in this important enterprise. 

We turn from the successful retreat of the Federal 
troops from Strasburg, to notice the mysterious flight of 
the Rebel forces from Corinth. 

Immediately after the battle of Shiloh, near Pittsburg 
Landing, the immense army which had conquered under 
General Albert Sidney Johnson, and had been defeated 



THE SOUTHERN BEBEELION". 375 

on the next day under his successor in command, 
General Beauregard, retreated to Corinth, and entrenched 
themselves within the limits and in the vicinity of that 
town. Their future operations were unknown ; it was 
uncertain whether they would again advance, and try the 
fortunes of war in the open field, or whether they would 
await the attack of the Federal troops in their fortified 
position. The Union forces were soon afterward placed 
under the orders of General Halleck, an ofiicer whom, 
though riot as yet the victor in any great battle, the 
public unanimously agreed to applaud, as the ablest, or 
as one of the ablest, of the Federal commanders. By a 
combination of the troops under Generals Grant, Buell, 
Pope and Thomas, his army was augmented to the 
formidable number of over a hundred thousand men. 
An intense degree of interest centered around the 
struggle which, it was anticipated, would occur at that 
place. • During some weeks it was regarded by the 
popular mind, as equal in magnitude, importance, and 
the decisiveness of its results, to the final contest which 
was expected to occur at Eichmond. It was thought 
that, at Corinth, General Beauregard would attempt to 
revive and freshen the laurels which were writhered at 
Sliiloh ; to recover the crown which he had gained at 
Manassas, but which had been wrested from his brow at 
Pittsburg Landing. All these prognostications were 
destined to a sudden and complete disappointment. 

General Ilallcck had been slowly approaching Corinth 
during some days, feeling his way cautiously and 
prudently, when, on the 27th of May, he ordered General 
Sherman to advance toward the outer pickets of the 
enemy, select a position as near as possible to their 
entrenchments, and defend himself in it. Six or eight 
brigades were detailed to this service, and early in the 



876 • A HISTORY OF 

morning of the day just named the operations began. 
At the first attack upon them the Rebels were taken by- 
surprise; but they quickly rallied, and their outposts 
being reinforced, an engagement of some severity ensued. 
This contest occupied a large portion of the day, but at 
three o'clock in the afternoon the whole line of the enemy 
broke and fled before the vigorous assaults of the Federal 
infantry and artillery. The latter advanced, and at the 
close of the day occupied the position deserted by the 
enem3^ This position was about thirteen hund'red yards 
distant from the main entrenchments of the Rebel army, 
upon which they had expended so much labor. General 
Sherman commenced at once to entrench his troops in 
their new post ; the lines were laid out after nightfall ; 
and so industriously did the Federal soldiers work that, 
before the dawn of the morning of the 29th their breast- 
works were completed. By nine o'clock of that day the 
siege trains were brought forward, and the artillery were 
placed in position. The Federal forces, consisting of a 
whole division, now occupied an immense curve around 
Corinth, facing southward ; the right wing resting on the 
Alobile and Ohio railroad, the left on the main road to 
Corinth. The two armies were in such close proximity 
to each other, that the sound of the drums and the voices 
of those in command, could be distinctly heard from the 
opposite camps. On the 30th of May it was expected 
that the last and greatest combat would commence. 

The attention of the Federal commanders had been 
attracted, and their suspicions aroused, during several 
previous days and nights, by the frequent noise of rail- 
road cars arriving and departing in a direction opposite 
to their own position. At six o'clock in the morning of 
the 80th, a succession of loud explosions which took 
place within the enemy's works, increased the mystery ; 



THE SOUTHERX REBELLION. 377 

nor was that mystery solved until, after the order to 
advance had been given by General Sherman, it was 
discovered that the entrenchments of the Eebels were 
wholly deserted. The brigade of General M. L. Smith 
was the first to reach and to enter the redoubts of the 
fugitive foe. He then advanced into the town of Corinth, 
which he also found entirely evacuated by the Eebels. 
General Denver followed ; and by eight o'clock the entire 
division of General Sherman occupied the deserted town. 
An extraordinary spectacle now presented itself to the 
view of the Federal troops. Far and wide on every hand 
could be seen the remains of the abandoned camps. 

Numerous warehouses, in which the explosions referred 
to had taken place, were in flames or were smouldering 
in ruins. Immense quantities of flour and provisions, 
ammunition and clothing, lay scattered in the wildest 
confusion ; and» it was evident that the Rebels had 
evacuated their boasted stronghold by a rapid and dis- 
orderly retreat. Then it was ascertained from the re- 
maining citizens of the town that, during several days 
and nights, the immense army of General Beauregard 
had been transported over two railroads from Corinth ; 
although a portion of them had been compelled at last to 
leave in hot haste on foot, in order to escape the im- 
pending assault of the Federal troops under General 
Hal leek. 

The stars and stripes were soon unfurled over the 
recent fortifications of the enemy ; and in a few hours the 
victors occupied the various entrenchments which they 
had evacuated. That evacuation, so unexpected and so 
significant, excited tlie utmost astonishment throughout 
the nation ; and conjecture was busy in assigning the 
probable causes which might have produced it. The 
most prevalent and plausible supposition was, that the 



878 



A HISTORY OF 



Rebel commander was afraid to encounter the formidable 
Lost mustered under tlie banners of General Halleck ; 
and that they wisely averted the horrors and the disgrace 
of an overwhelming defeat, by a prudent and clandestine 
flight. This result was more acceptable and propitious 
to the Federal cause than a great though sanguinary 
victory would have been * A vast amount of stores and 
ammunition, several thousand stand of arms, and twenty- 
five hundred prisoners, afterward fell into the hands of 
the troops of the Union. Subsequent to the occupation 
of Corinth a pursuit of the enemy was ordered ; and 
General Pope's division was dispatched after that portion 
of them who had fled westward. He soon overtook their 
rear, six miles southwest of the town ; and an engage- 
ment ensued in which a number were slain on both sides, 
and some Rebel prisoners were taken. 

During the progress of these events, the Federal army 
in tlie Peninsula was steadily approaching Richmond. 
Its advance was marked from day to day by futile oppo- 
sition on the part of the enemy, and by several important 
and sanguinary contests between the opposing forces. 
On the 23d of May a reconnoissance was ordered by 
General McClellan, for the purpose of ascertaining 
whether the right wing of his army could cross the 
Chickahominy immediately, with safety and advantage. 
The troops detailed for this service proceeded up the left 
bank of the stream about three miles. The sixth 
Pennsylvania cavalry, who were in the advance, suddenly 
came in sight of the New Bridge which spanned it ; and 
before the Rebel pickets in the vicinity could apply the 



* The real motive for the evacuation of Corinth was, that the 
larger portion of the Rebel forces might he transferred thence to 
Richmond, and be united with those which afterward repulsed 
General McClellan from that capital. 



THE SOUTHERX REBELLION". 



379 



torch, they dashed forward and took possession of it. 
They immediately crossed over, together with Robinson's 
battery, and proceeded a short distance beyond the 
stream. As soon as these troops had ascended a liill, a 
few hundred yards distant from the bridge, the Rebels 
who were concealed in a dense woods, opened a fire upon 
them from several batteries. Robinson immediately 
responded with four guns, Titball with six guns, which 
they had quickly placed in a favorable position ; and a 
vigorous cannonade ensued. The Rebel artillery was sup- 
ported by a regiment of infantry, and by some squadrons 
of cavalry, who, in a short time endeavored to outflank 
their assailants. But this purpose was defeated by the 
latter, and they were in turn driven back. The action 
lasted nearly an hour, after which the Rebels abandoned 
the attack, and the Federal troops encamped for the 
night on the battle-field.. On the following morning the 
action was renewed. The Rebels assailed the Federals 
with a battery of four guns. But they effected little 
damage, in consequence of the inaccuracy of their aim. 
At length Wheeler's battery and Davidson's brigade 
were ordered forward to attack and capture the guns of 
the enemy, which were supported by several regiments 
of infantry, and by several squadrons of cavalry. The 
Federal troops advanced with great spirit, filling the air 
with their defiant shouts, and sending a hail-storm of balls 
into the ranks of the foe as they approached them. The 
latter did not wait for a nearer or closer contact ; but as 
soon as the order to charge bayonets had been given 
they broke and fled. They were pursued a short 
distance, after which the chase terminated and the 
Federal troops were recalled to their f(H'nier position. 
The Federal loss in this action was two killed and ten 
wounded. That of the enemy is unknown ; a partial yet 



380 A HISTORY OF 

plausible conjecture would estimate it at a mucli larger 
number. 

A similar operation attended by a similar result, was 
effected on the left wing of the Federal army on the 24th 
of May. A reconnoissance was ordered on that day, to 
ascertain the strength of the Eebels in a position called 
the Pines ; and a considerable force consisting of infantry 
and cavalry, was placed under the command of General 
Naglee for that purpose. At ten o'clock these troops 
reached the spot where the enemy had planted two 
batteries, from which they immediately began to salute 
the Federals. The guns of the latter were quickly made 
to respond. The Eebel force consisted of these two 
batteries, containing eight guns, one regiment of infantry, 
and five hundred cavalry. During the progress of the 
contest which ensued, the eighth Pennsylvania cavalry 
attacked the horse of the enemy and completely routed 
them. The infantry also came into collision. But the 
chief execution was effected on both sides by the artil- 
lery. The batteries of the Eebels were shifted several 
times from their positions, and were driven in every 
instance from them with heavy loss. At length, after an 
engagement of two hours duration, the enemy retreated, 
and were concealed from the view of the victors by the 
foliage of a dense and shady forest. Skirmishers were 
then thrown forward to ascertain their location ; but as 
they could not be found within the compass of several 
miles, the pursuit was abandoned. They had retreated 
toward the right, in the direction of the Eichmond rail- 
road, in the vicinity of which, it was conjectured, a much 
larger force was then concentrated. The Federal loss in 
this action was five killed, sixteen wounded. That of the 
Eebels was probably much greater, as not a few of their 
cavalry were seen to fall from their horses, and were 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLION. 



381 



afterward conveyed from the battle-field by the retreating 
enemy. 

These skirmishes and several others of less importance 
which took place at this period along the banks of the 
Chicahoniiny, were followed on the 27th of May by the 
more decisive battle of Hanover Court House. General 
McClellan readily discerned the necessity of cutting off 
the connection between the Eebel authorities at Rich- 
mond with those at Fredericksburg, which was preserved 
and maintained by the railroad running between those 
two cities. The task of destroying this road, and of 
routing the Rebel forces which might attempt to prevent 
the execution of the enterprise, was entrusted to the 
troops commanded by General Fitz John Porter. Ac- 
cordingly, at four o'clock in the morning of the 27th 
these troops were under arms, and the march began from 
the Federal camp. The sixth Pennsylvania cavalry 
were in the advance of the column, commanded by 
Major Williams. The line of march was along the New 
Bridge road, thence over the Hanover turnpike. The 
first glimpse of the enemy was obtained at McKinsey's 
Cross Roads, where their mounted pickets were encoun- 
tered. This place was six miles distant from Hanover 
Court House, and at noon the vicinity of that spot was 
reached. During the progress of the d^y three separate 
contests took place with the Rebel forces, in each of 
which they were routed. 

The first of these occurred at a locality known as 
Kinney's House. A number of Rebel troops had been 
concealed in and around this mansion ; and as the twenty- 
fifth New York regiment, who were then in the advance, 
approached it, a heavy fire was opened upon them. 
Their volleys were quickly returned while the Federals 
advanced. They then commenced to fire with a number 



8S2 A HISTORY OF 

of field pieces, which they had posted on a road in front 
of the house. The Federal artillery were now placed in 
position, and responded to the guns of the enemy, while 
at the same time, Berdan's Sharpshooters were distributed 
to the right and to the left, for the purpose of picking 
off the Eebel gunners. These famous marksmen, lying 
flat upon the ground, according to their usual custom, 
took deadly and infallible aim at the foe ; and soon, one 
of the Eebel guns being wholly unmanned, they rushed 
forward and took possession of it. During this interval 
the Federal regiments in the rear were approaching the 
scene of action. Generals Butterfield, Martindale and 
McQuade brought their several brigades successively 
within range. A spirited contest of nearly two hours 
duration then ensued, between the Federal troops and the 
whole strength of the enemy collected at that point. At the 
expiration of that time the latter were driven from their 
position, and fled with precipitation through the woods. 
General Porter immediately ordered a pursuit ; and for 
three miles a chase followed, over boggy marshes, through 
dense forests, and among waving grain fields. The 
Eebels clearly demonstrated their superiority, if in 
nothing else, in their fleetness of locomotion ; and the 
best efforts of the Federals were defeated in the vain 
attempt to overtake the fugitives. While a portion of 
the Union forces were employed in this service. General 
Martindale's brigade was ordered to hasten to the 
Virginia Central railroad, and commence the work of its 
demolition. The order was obeyed with alacrity. In a 
short space of time forty rods of the road were destroyed, 
a bridge was burned, the telegraph was intercepted, and 
the communication of the enemy between Eichmond and 
Fredericksburg completely ruined. 

After this success an interval of several hours duration 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 383 

ensued, during which the Federal troops rested upon 
their arms, and the Eebels were quietly receiving rein- 
forcements from Eichmond. At the end of that period 
the latter again appeared, and began to fire upon a house 
which had been occupied by the Federals as a hospital, 
and upon the troops who were in the vicinity. This 
attack quickly brought the forty-fourth New York regi- 
ment forward to the assistance of the assailed ; and soon 
the entire brigade of General Martindale was formed into 
line of battle. Thus the second engagement of the day 
began, during which the Rebels fought concealed in the 
woods. The firing on- both sides from cannon and 
musketry was rapid and continuous. Grif&n and Benson's 
batteries scattered shot and shell over the whole position 
of the enemy ; and after the lapse of an hour, the latter 
began to break and retreat. In a short time all those 
who had taken part in the action disappeared from view, 
and the Federal troops again remained masters of the 
field. But the labors and triumphs of the day were not 
yet terminated. At this crisis a more numerous body of 
Rebels took their position in the rear of Kinney's House, 
and recommenced the contest with great spirit. It is 
probable that they mustered fifteen thousand men, in this 
last effort to dislodge the Federal forces from the posses- 
sion of the railroad. General Porter, perceiving the 
importance of this final struggle, ordered his artillery to 
be brought forward and placed on both sides of the front 
of the enemy, so that he might shell them by diagonal 
fires, while the infantry made the attack in the centre, 
commanded by General Butterficld. These orders were 
executed with admirable skill and firmness. The troops 
advanced to the assault with hearty cheers which were 
suggestive of the inevitable victory which was to follow. 
Hard fighting again took place. The enemy remained 



384 A HISTORY OF 

for the most part concealed in the woods ; but as the 
darkness of night approached, their fire slackened, and 
"before the close of the day they had evacuated their 
entire position. These two additional hours of fighting 
ended with the complete discomfiture and flight of the 
Eebel forces. A number of prisoners were taken. The 
victors slept on their arms, without any shelter, and 
occupied the field which they had signalized by their 
valor. The Federal loss during the entire day was forty 
killed, two hundred and twenty wounded. It was 
evident, from a subsequent examination of the woods in 
which the enemy had chiefly fought, and which they had 
evacuated, that their loss must have been much greater ; 
for the mangled bodies of their dead and wounded 
covered the ground both far and near. 

The various operations of an army so numerous as that 
then posted before Eichmond, would necessarily include 
many minor episodes and individual achievements which 
will never be recorded on the historic page ; in which 
the actors exhibited as much heroism as could be 
displayed on the most extensive and renowned battle- 
field. Our space permits us here to allude to but one of 
these. General McClellan having formed the determina- 
tion to open communications with the Federal gunboats 
on the James river, then fifteen miles distant from his 
camp, ordered Lieutenant Frank C. Davis, of the third 
Pennsylvania cavalry, to perform the task with an escort 
.of ten picked men. It was a service of considerable 
difiiculty and danger, from the fact that the intervening 
country was filled with the pickets of the enemy. The 
danger of capture or of death was imminent. A rare 
combination of prudence, tact and boldness was necessary 
to accomplish the feat. On the morning of Sunday, the 
25th of May, the lieutenant started from the Federal 



THE SOUTHEKN REBELLION. 385 

camp. Scarcely Lad he traveled four miles when lie 
encountered the pickets of the enemy posted in a wood. 
He avoided these by a sudden detour and pursued his 
journey. The same incident occurred several times, 
when his escapes from the impending peril were marvel- 
ous. At length he came within view of the James river, 
three miles distant, and beheld the Union gunboats 
riding at anchor upon its tranquil bosom. He hid his 
men in the woods and rode forward alone. Reaching 
the banks of the river, he obtained a small boat, and 
hired two negroes to row him to the Galena. He was 
met when half way by a cutter from the ship. The 
message with which he had been entrusted, though a 
very important one, had not been committed to writing, 
in order to avoid the possibility of its becoming known 
to the enemy by the capture of the messenger. The 
lieutenant having delivered that message and received his 
answer, commenced his return. He then encountered the 
same perils, and evaded them with the same success. 
He traveled with his escort during the whole night, and 
reached the camp in safety at eleven o'clock on Monday 
morning. General McGlellan directed his chief of staff 
to express to Lieutenant Davis his approbation of the 
prompt, discreet and satisfactory manner in which he 
and his men had performed the duty assigned them, in 
communicating with Captain Rodgers, the commander of 
the fleet of Federal gunboats in James river. 
55 



386 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

APPROACH OF THE FEDERAL ARMY TO RICHMOND — THE CORPS OF GENERAL 

KEYS CROSS THE CHICKAHOMINY — THEIR EXPOSED POSITION HOSTILE 

PURPOSE OF THE REBEL LEADERS — THE BATTLE OP SEVEN PINES 

POSITION OF THE FEDERAL TROOPS COMMENCEMENT OF THE ATTACK 

DISPOSITION OF TROOPS MADE BY GENERAL CASEY INCIDENTS OF THE 

BATTLE — ROUT OF CASEY'S DIVISION — GENERAL COUCH's TROOPS 
BECOME ENGAGED — DESPERATE FIGHTING — VICTORY OF THE REBELS — 
THE FEDERALS REINFORCED — THE ENGAGEMENT OF JUNE FIRST, GENE- 

BAL HEINTZELMAN IN CHIEF COMMAND INCIDENTS OF THIS BATTLE 

HEROISM OF THE IRISH REGIMENTS AND OF SICKELS' EXCELSIOR 

BRIGADE THE VICTORY OF FAIR OAKS — ITS RESULTS — POPULAR 

IMPATIENCE FOR THE OCCUPATION OF RICHMOND — REIiEL FORCES IN 

THE VALLEY OF THE SHENANDOAH — THEIR BRIEF OCCUPATION OF IT 

GENERAL FREMONT ORDERED TO EXPEL THEM — THEY ABANDON WIN- 
CHESTER THEIR RETREAT THROUGH STRASBURG AND WOODSTOCK 

BATTLE OF CROSS KEYS GALLANTRY OF THE BUCKTAILS RESULTS OF 

THE ENGAGEMENT BATTLE OF PORT REPUBLIC — INCIDENTS OF THIS 

ENGAGEMENT ITS RESULTS — RETREAT OF GENERAL JACKSON TOWARD 

RICHMOND APPOINTMENT OF GENERAL POPE AS COMMANDER OF THE 

DEPARTMENT-^WITHDRAWAI, OF GENERAL FREMONT — HIS MILITARY 
ACHIEVEMENTS HIS TRUE RENOWN. 

The history of past ages demonstrates that, in every 
great struggle between contending nations, the contest 
will ultimately culminate in a few particular localities ; 
that there the chief resources of the combatants will be 
concentrated; that the engagements which take place at 
those points will be more colossal in their proportions, 
more obstinate and desperate in their spirit tlian those 
which preceded them ; and that they will produce a 
■decisive effect on the issue of the contest one way or the 
oth^r. This maxim holds true with regard to the war 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 387 

against the Southern Rebellion. It was in the vicinity 
of Richmond that some of the most terrible battles were 
destined to occur. There the chief military strength of 
the Rebels had been concentrated. Thither their ablest 
generals had been summoned. At that place they had 
evidently resolved, with a heroism not destitute of 
grandeur and dignity, but sadly perverted to an ignoble 
end, to conquer or to perish. We have now arrived, in 
the progress of this history, at the most sanguinary 
scenes which ever occurred on the American Continent 
and we will proceed, in this chapter, to describe a portion 
of them as they transpired at the spot which every 
patriot fondly hoped would prove the Arbela, the Phar 
salia, the Waterloo, of the Rebel Confederacy. 

The corps of General Keys, which formed a part of 
the army of General McClellau, comprised the two 
divisions of Casey and Couch. These troops were about 
twenty thousand in number. They first crossed the 
Chickahominy, as the pioneers of the grand army in the 
Peninsula, passing over by several bridges ; and they 
were thus placed in the advance in an isolated position. 
The camp of General Casey, whose troops led the van, 
was pitched in the vicinity of a spot designated by the 
name of Seven Pines. It was located about eight miles 
east of Richmond, near the highway wJiich runs between 
that city and Williamsburg. The first brigade was 
placed on the right, the second in the centre, the third 
on the left of the line. A number of breastworks had 
been thrown up immediately after the occupation of the 
camp ; and a line of rifle pits had been dug. The troops 
who composed this division, were for the most part new 
and raw levies, whose discipline was lax, and whose 
military experience was extremely limited. Many of 
them, unaccustomed to the hardships and privations of a 



388 A HISTORY OF 

soldier's life, were sick ; and altbougli tlie men were 
individually as brave as their comrades, no corps of the 
entire army was less fitted than they, to repulse the first 
and sudden attack of an infuriated enemy. The division 
of General Couch consisted of twelve regiments. He 
had dug two lines of rifle-pits in front of his position, 
which was located in the interval between the camp of 
General Casey and Fair Oak Station. His troops were 
more familiar with the service, and were more numerous 
than those of General Casey. 

The Eebel commanders had conceived the plan of 
attacking these troops, with an overwhelming superiority 
of numbers, in their exposed position, while cut off from 
the rest of the Federal army ; and having destroyed them, 
to press on, break through the lines in the rear, and 
eventually intercept the communication of the army with 
the depot at White House, through which its supplies 
of ammunition and subsistence were obtained. On 
Friday, May 30th, the enemy made a reconnoissance in 
force for the purpose of ascertaining the precise position 
and strength of these troops, and the location of their 
camps. The Federal pickets, who were a mile in advance 
of the Federal lines, observed on that day and on the 
morning of the following, an unusual commotion in the 
camp of the Eebels, which was within their view ; but no 
apprehension was entertained of the momentous events 
which were about to follow. It was on Saturday, May 
31st, that the first battle in the vicinity of Riclimond 
took place. On that d*ay the Rebels, having obtained 
accurate information respecting the exposed position of 
Generals Casey and Couch, made the attack. In the 
rear of the Federal troops the swollen waters of the 
Chickahominy rolled, effectually preventing their retreat 
in case they were overpowered. The plans of the Eebels 



THE SOUTHERN REB'ELLION. 389 

were well laid ; their time of fiction was opportunely 
chosen ; their assault was commenced and continued with. 
energy and determination. At one o'clock in the day 
they advanced down the AVilliamsburg road, toward tlie 
Federal camp.* They fired three shells as a signal to the 
rest of their forces that all was ready ; and they then came 
upon the Federal pickets suddenly and unexpectedly. 
The pickets discharged their pieces, fell back, and com- 
municated the intelligence that the enemy were ad- 
vancing in considerable force. The one hundred and 
third Pennsylvania regiment was immediately ordered 
forward to support the pickets. So sudden was the 
attack, and so rapid the approach of the enemy, that 
before this regiment could load their pieces thc}^ received 
a volley of musketry. That volley was so effective that 
it disabled the regiment, not only by the loss of a fifth 
of its number, but also by completely demoralizing the 

* The position of the rJifferent brigades of General Casey's divi- 
sion before the engagement was as follows : General Naglee's 
brigade, consisting of the one hundred and fourth Pennsylvania, 
Colonel W. W. H. Davis ; eleventh Maine, Lieutenant Colonel 
Palmsteed; fifty-sixth New York, Colonel C. H. Van Wyck ; fifty- 
second Pennsylvania, Colonel J. C. Dodge : one hundredth New 
York, Colonel J. M. Brown, were on the right of the Williamsburg 
and Richmond stage road, and extended across the rail track for 
some distance. The second brigade, under command of General 
Wessels, consisting of the eighty-fifth Pennsylvania, Colonel T. I?. 
H. Howell ; one hundred and first Pennsylvania, Colonel T. II. 
Wilson ; one hundred and third Pennsylvania, Colonel M. H. 
Lehman ; ninety-sixth New York, Colonel J. Fairman, occupied the 
centre and guarded the turnpike. The third brigade, General J. N. 
Palmer commanding, consisting of the eighty-first New York, Lieu- 
tenant Colonel De Forest ; fifty-fifth New York, Colonel T. S. Bel- 
knap ; ninety-second New York, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson ; 
ninety-eighth New York, Lieutenant Colonel Durkee, were on the 
left of the road, and connected with the pickets of General Couch's 
division. 



L. 



n 



390 -A HISTORY OF 

rest ; who, overcome and bewildered hy the suddenness 
of the surprise, broke and fled toward the rear in com- 
plete confusion. They carried with them to their 
comrades exaggerated reports of the vast numbers and 
the ferocious spirit of their assailants ; and announced the 
fact that their own regiment had been cut to pieces. 
This information, in itself so false, had the unfortunate 
effect of extending the panic to some extent among the 
remainder of the division, whose duty it now became to 
march against the exultant foe, and stem their advancing 
tide. 

For this purpose preparations were hastily made by 
General Casey. Spratt's battery was posted on the 
right, near the edge of the wood which skirted that 
extremity of the camp. Regan's battery was placed next 
to it. These were supported by the one hundredth New 
York, the eleventh Maine, the one hundred and fourth 
Pennsylvania, and the ninety-second New York regi- 
ments. The first salute the enemy received was from 
these batteries ; but they continued to advance with the 
steadiness of veterans. As they came within range of 
the musketry of the Federals, they returned the fire with 
such eflect, and still approached with such rapidity, that 
they compelled their opponents to retire a short distance. 
But now their progress was checked by an obstacle, 
undignified indeed, and unheroic, but quite unwelcome 
and considerable under the circumstances. Four hundred 
yards in front of the spot where the Federal batteries had 
been posted a rail fence ran, which it was necessary for 
the Rebels to cross or to remove. As often as they 
attempted to accomplish this feat, the Federal guns 
played upon them with grape and canister so destruc- 
tively, that their progress was arrested, and huge gaps 
were ploughed through their serried masses. It was not 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 891 

until the ammunition of these guns was exhausted, and 
the wagons being still beyond the Chickahominy, it was 
impossible to bring forward a fresh supply, that the 
enemy were able to surmount and overcome the obstruc- 
tion. 

A closer combat then ensued. In vain did General 
Casey, with the coolness and valor of a veteran, ride 
along his shattered lines and endeavor to steady them, 
staggered and wavering as they were, from the fury of 
the assault made upon them by vastly superior numbers. 
He ordered a bayonet charge to be made, which was 
executed with as much force and effect as the strength 
and spirit of the' men permitted. But fresh and heavy 
masses of Rebels still rolled forward from their rear, to 
the front, so that the Federal troops were at length over- 
powered. They then retreated within their first line of 
defense. Here Bates' battery of six pieces was posted 
in a redoubt on the left, and Fitch's battery on tlie 
right. . These guns now opened on the advancing foe. 
Four Eebel batteries which had been brought forward 
responded to them, while the firing between the infantry 
was resumed with intense fury. They soon reached the 
redoubts and the rifle-pits, where the cannon of Bates and 
Spratt had been placed. It became impossible to save 
all of these, and in the end some of them were spiked 
and abandoned. The Federal troops vainlj'- attempted 
to resist the immense masses wliich now swelled forward, 
and swarmed like a countless host around them. Almost 
every regiment of Casey's division had by this time been 
eftectually broken and routed. It was now half past four. 
For three hours and a half those raw and inexperienced 
troops had stemmed the tide ; eight thousand men had 
resisted thrice their number ; and during all that period 
not more than half a mile had been yielded to the enemy 



S02 A HISTORY OF 

in retreat. During this period Grcneral Casey had ex 
hibited extraordinary courage, coolness and skill ; but 
this brave commander was unable to perform impossi- 
bilities. He had lost one fourth of his division, and 
many of his best officers. He had, however, rendered 
one essential service, by holding the Rebels in check 
until the Federal forces in his rear had time to prepare 
for their onset. 

A brief pause intervened between the retreat of Casey's 
division, and the renewed advance of the enemy against 
the division of General Couch. The troops of the latter 
were drawn up obliquely toward the foe, so that when 
they pressed forward, his right wing became first engaged. 
Here the twenty-third Pennsylvania regiment was posted, 
commanded by Colonel Neill. They reserved their fire 
until the enemy were close upon them ; a sheet of lurid 
flame and iron hail then flew into their ranks, and com- 
pletely staggered them. A bayonet charge by the 
gallant Pennsylvanians ensued, which added to their 
repulse, and to the extent of the slaughter which thinned 
their dense masses. Here a triumph was obtained 
which, had the Federal success been equal in other 
portions of the field, might have reversed the fortunes 
of the day. But soon the heavy fire of the enemy on 
their flank compelled them to recoil. The whole line 
was now engaged, and a disaster wliich occurred at this 
crisis on the left, produced a pernicions efiect. There the 
tenth Massachusetts regiment occupied a post near the 
rifle-pits ; but being ordered further to the left, was acci- 
dentally placed in an isolated position. When the 
enemy advanced the tenth engaged them heroically in 
front ; but during this action a portion of the Eebels 
succeeded in passing unobserved through the adjacent 
woods to the rear of that regiment. They then attacked 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 393 

the tenth from that point with great fury. The result 
was that the men, surrounded bj destruction on both 
sides, broke and fled. They were afterward rallied, and 
subsequently took an honorable part in the engagement. 

Notwithstanding the heavy losses which the Rebels had 
already suffered, their endless masses still rushed forward 
into the conflict. Their batteries also were very effective. 
Accordingly, after a long and desperate struggle, the 
Federal lines began to give way. The first to retreat 
was the first Long Island regiment. In vain the fifty- 
seventh and sixty-third Pennsylvania endeavored to stop 
the flight. Their steady ranks crumbled like frost work 
before the terrific and well sustained fire of the enemy. 
Scarcely an officer remained on horseback. Slowly and 
reluctantly those heroic troops, which had hurled back 
the deluge of the Eebel hosts, three times their own 
number, were compelled to recede toward the Chicka- 
horainy, not " unaccountably and discreditably," as was 
asserted, but simply because human strength and valor, 
when placed in a desperate and helpless position, could 
not achieve miracles, or reverse the laws of physical 
nature. 

General Couch now fell back with his shattered column 
in the direction of the "Williamsbura: road. Here he asain 
arrayed his men in line of battle. At half past four 
o'clock, Greneral Sumner arrived on the field with Seds:- 
wick's division. These troops were disposed of as rapidly 
and judiciously as the occasion permitted; but not too 
soon to meet the advancing enemy. The thirtj^-first 
Pennsylvania, the first Minnesota, and the first chasseurs, 
were ordered to lie upon t^eir faces, and were thns con- 
cealed from their view. As the Rebels emerged from 
the woods, they delivered a volley at the Anderson 
Zouaves, who were posted in the rear. Then at the word 



394 A HISTORY OF 

of command the prostrate troops bounded to their feet, 
and poured a deadly deluge of shot into the serried 
masses of the foe. Their ranks were mowed down like 
grain before the scythe of the reaper. The ground where 
they stood was covered with piles of dead and wounded. 
That discharge was the virtual end of the battle. Among 
the Rebel dead was General Davis ; among the wounded 
and prisoners was General Pettigrew. The troops of 
Sumner aided in stemming the victorious march of the 
enemy, and in saving the Federal forces engaged from 
total rout and destruction. Thus closed the battle of the 
Seven Pines. Both armies, exhausted, yet undismayed, 
passed the ensuing night upon the gory field, or near it, 
surrounded by the multitudes of the dying and the dead ; 
and anxiously awaited, during its solemn silence, the dawn 
of the next day, for the renewal of the fight and the decision 
of the struggle. The enemy had captured every thing 
which belonged to General Casey's camp, except the 
baggage wagons which had beeu sent to the rear several 
days before ; and they occupied the ground at the close 
of the day, which had been Casey's position at its com- 
mencement. 

On Sunday, June 1st, the Federal troops promptly 
stood to their arms in the dim and misty light of the early 
dawn. Important reinforcements had arrived during the 
night. On the right wing, the divisions of Eichardson 
and Sedgwick were posted, their left resting on Hooker's 
right. These divisions comprised the brigades of Burns, 
French and Meagher. Hooker's division occupied the 
centre of the line. The left wing was composed of the 
remains of the divisions of Generals Casey and Couch, 
whose futile valor had performed its thankless prodigies 
on the day before. At six o'clock General Heintzel- 
man, who had received the chief command of the forces 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION'. 395 

engaged, ordered a rcconnoissance to be mai^.e on the 
left and on the right, by wliich it was soon ascertained 
tliat the Rebels were posted in great strength in front of 
the Federal right and left flanks. It was nearly seven 
o'clock when the firing between the pickets gave evidence 
that the enemy had begun their advance, and were about 
to 2'enew the engagement. Heintzelman immediately 
ordered Hooker to attack the Rebels in front, and drive 
them back through the woods, from which they Ave re 
then emerging. Hooker's division comprised the Excel- 
sior brigade of Sickels, with the fifth and sixth New 
Jersey regiments. These troops advanced gallantly to the 
attack. They were warmly received by the enemy ; but 
as they approached, they loaded and fired repeatedly 
with the rapidity and i^egularity of trained soldiers. 
After an exchange of shots for some time, General Sickels 
ordered the second regiment of his brigade to clear the 
woods at the point of the bayonet. This order was 
executed with splendid effect. Colonel Hall led the 
charge in person. The front of the enemy was not a 
hundred yards distant; and as the Federal troops ap- 
proached, the Rebels fired a tremendous volley into their 
ranks ; but not a single man faltered. Onward rushed 
the bristling line of glittering steel. Then the shock came ; 
and soon the foe, shattered and broken, gave way and 
fled. Among the prisoners taken at this point was Major 
Herbert, of the eighth Alabama regiment. 

During the progress of this achievement, the division 
of General Richardson was gradually coming into action 
on the right. Here the ground was exceedingly difficult ; 
but the Irish regiments were fortunately in this part of 
tlie tight; and their powers of endurance and tlieir 
pugnacious spirit were well adapted to the emergency. 
As the brigades of French, Meagher and Howard com- 



396 A HISTORY OF 

batted the foe, the men were sometimes up to their knees 
in the swampy and boggy soil. This unusual disadvan- 
tage would have disgusted or disheartened any other 
soldiers ; but it could not retard the impetuous sons of 
Erin, who rushed forward to the deadly encounter with 
jocular yells, and with all the mingled glee and furor of 
a " free fight." The enemy received them with a terrible 
discharge of musketry. General Howard had two horses 
shot under him, and was also wounded. A desperate 
struggle ensued. The superior numbers of the Rebels 
rendered the issue at one time extremely doubtful. At 
that moment the fourth and fifth Excelsior regiments of 
Sickels, who had already gained their share of the victory 
in another part of the field, were dispatched to the 
support of Eichardson's men. The battle now spread 
around to the New Jersey brigade, who stood up manfully 
to the enemy. At length the Rebels began to recede ; 
yet slowly and steadily. The Federal troops then pushed 
forward, crowding upon the yielding lines of the foe, 
as they floundered over the swampy ground. Two 
hundred of these were captured here. By eleven o'clock 
the firing ceased, the battle was over, the victory was 
won. The enemy were driven from every position 
which they had gained on the preceding day. Their 
main column rested a mile beyond the point which they 
held at the commencement of the engagement. Such was 
the battle, and such the victory of Fair Oaks, by which 
the misfortune and defeat of the Seven Pines were compen- 
sated for by ai)rilliant success. The Rebels were com- 
manded on this occasion by Generals Joseph E. Johnson, 
Longstreet, Pryor, Cobb, and linger. The guns and 
ammunition which they had captured on Saturday were 
not recovered ; they having been transported with prudent 
and thrifty haste to Richmond, immediately after the 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 397 

close of tlie engagement on that day. On Monday the 
Federal forces were ordered forward to ^ccupy their first 
position, from which they had been driven on Saturday. 
The loss of the Eebel troops was very heavy, as the 
ground was covered thickly in many places with the 
slain and the wounded, whom they were unable to 
remove. The Federal loss during the battles of Seven 
Pines and Fair Oaks was eight hundred and ninety killed, 
three thousand six hundred and twenty-seven wounded, 
twelve hundred and twenty-two missing; making a total 
who were placed hors da comhat of five thousand seven 
hundred and thirty-nine.* 

After the battle of Fair Oaks, the loyal community of 
the United States generally expected that an immediate 
advance would be made by the Federal army against 
Bichmond ; and it is quite probable, that if such a move- 
ment had taken place without delay, and no further 
time had been allowed the enemy to concentrate their 
troops in colossal masses around the Rebel capital, as 
they afterward did with extraordinary promptitude and 
energy, the city might have been captured and occupied 
Avith little difiiculty. But such an advance of the Federal 
army at that moment was probably a physical im- 
possibility. A small proportion of McClellan's troops 
had as yet crossed the Chickahominy ; and these had 
been greatly weakened by two days' harcj fighting. 
Only two or three bridges had been constructed over the 
stream, and these were swept away by the violent storm 

* The loss of Uie Rebels, according to the official report subse- 
quently made by General J. E. Johnson, was four thousand two 
hundred and thirty-three, including killed, wounded, and missing. 
He also claimed to have captured ten pieces of artillery, six 
thousand stand of arms, five colors, beside a large amount of camp 
eq^uipage. 



398 A HISTORY OF 

and freshet whicli ensued the day after the battle of Fair 
Oaks. The Eeljels had fought with heroism — with a 
desperation and firmness unsurpassed by any troops in 
modern times — filling up enormous chasms in their 
columns, when ploughed and shivered to pieces by the 
Federal guns, with -the most wonderful determination and 
readiness. To attack such troops with sudden and im- 
prudent haste, with inferior numbers, or at a serious 
disadvantage of position, would have insured the inev- 
itable defeat and destruction "of the Federal army, 
Eichmond was defended even then by eight immense 
fortifications, supported by nearly a hundred thousand 
effective troops ; and the operations intended to vanquish 
such formidable armaments and such resolute champions, 
must be executed with great deliberation and skill. 
Hence it is evident that the impatience for the immediate 
capture of the Eebel capital, which at this period pervaded 
the loyal community, and the censure which followed 
its disappointment, were based upon an ignorance of the 
real facts of the case, and were therefore unreasonable 
and unjust. 

In accordance with the maxims which controlled the 
conduct of General McClellan, he proceeded immediately 
after the victory of Fair Oaks, to select his camp, form 
his lines, and erect his breastworks, for the purpose of 
making his regular approaches to Eichmond. His 
entrenchments, after his position had been fully taken, 
presented a front of about fifteen miles, extending from 
Mechanicsville, on the extreme right, to a position at 
"White Oak Swamp, on the extreme left. Nearly a month 
was destined to elapse before any further military opera- 
tions of importance took place near the Eebel capital ; 
during which interval the Federal troops were employed 
in the completion of their breastworks, and the Eebels in 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 399 

concentrating all tlieir available forces in tlie vicinity. 
In the meantime events of importance and interest were 
transpiring in other portions of the Union, to which we 
will now direct our attention. 

The sudden and brilliant expedition of the Rebel 
General Jackson, by which he expelled General Banks 
from Virginia, and restored the supremacy of their arms 
in the valley of the Shenandoah, produced results of a 
transient and inconsiderable character. The occupation 
of Front Royal by the victors was very brief. They took 
possession of it on Saturday, the 21th of May, and on the 
ensuing 30th they evacuated it. This movement was the 
commencement of a general desertion of the valley, and 
of the entire expulsion of the forces of Jackson from the 
scene of his late remarkable successes. 

After the arrival of General Banks at Williamsport, 
General Fremont was ordered to descend from his 
mountain department, and bring his troops to bear upon 
the enemy. Accordingly he sent forward a brigade, 
preceded by four companies of the Rhode Island cavalry, 
commanded by Major Nelson, with instructions to attack 
the Rebels, who held possession of Front Royal. These 
forces consisted of the eighth Louisiana, a portion of the 
twelfth Georgia regiments, and a body of cavalry. A 
spirited action ensued before the Rebels evacuated 
the place. The Federal loss was eight killed and six 
wounded. Eighteen Federal soldiers were retaken, who 
had been captured by the enemy a week previous, 
together with two engines, and eight cars loaded with 
ammunition. The loss of the Rebels in killed and 
wounded was severe. Then began the masterly retreat 
of Jackson, and the well-conducted pursuit of Fremont, 
through the valley of the Shenandoah. The latter left 
Franklin with the main body of his troops, and by rapid 



400 A HISTORY OF 

marclies crossed the iuterveniug mountains, toiling over 
a hundred miles of difiicult roads, with very limited 
means of transportation and subsistence. About the 
same period General Jackson withdrew from Winchester. 
Fremont pressed on toward Strasburg, which the Eebels 
were approaching in their full strength. Colonel Chezerut, 
who commanded the advance of Fremont's forces, first 
encountered the enemy, five miles from Strasburg, on tlio 
Winchester road. The Federals were assailed by a 
spirited cannonading ; but when General Fremont pro- 
ceeded to draw out his troops in line of battle, in anticipa- 
tion of a general engagement, Jackson declined the 
challenge, and retreated; in the meantime holding the 
Federal advance in check. The Eebel general continued 
his retreat through Strasburg toward Woodstock, losing 
twenty-five prisoners in the chase which ensued. Stras- 
burg was then occupied by General Fremont without op- 
position. For the purpose of ascertaining the route and 
position of the enemy, he ordered Colonel Figgelraenzel 
with a number of men to make a reconnoissance at mid- 
night near that town. By this movement it was ascertained 
that Jackson's rear guard w^as lying in ambush a few 
miles beyond Strasburg, waiting for the advance of the 
Federal forces. They fired upon the Federal scouts as 
they approached, wounding three, of them. The next 
day the pursuit was continued by the cavalry brigade, 
under General Bayard. Constant skirmishing took place 
between the pickets of both armies. The Rebels passed 
through Woodstock without halting. The town was 
then occupied by General Fremont, the Eebel army lying 
three miles beyond it. During this portion of the chase, 
though no engagement of importance occurred, several 
hundred Eebel prisoners were captured. 

The retreat and the pursuit through the valley of the 



THE SOUTHERN KEBELLION". 401 

Shenandoah continued without further incident of im- 
portance until the 8th of June. On that day the Rebels 
reached a position in the vicinity of Harrisonburg called 
Cross Keys, where an engagement took place. Colonel 
Windham had been ordered to advance four miles beyond 
that town, for the purpose of making a reconnoissance. 
The first New Jersey cavalry were detailed to this service. 
The colonel imprudently extended his march three miles 
further than the distance specified in his orders, and thus 
fell into an ambuscade which had been placed in the 
woods. The Rebels being posted in strong force, attacked 
him. A severe contest ensued. The Rebel General 
Ashby was conspicuous in this fight for his superior skill 
and daring. The Federal troops were driven back, and 
Colonel Wyndham was taken prisoner. The enemy were 
driving the New Jersey troops before them, when 
General Bayard was ordered to the rescue with the 
Bucktail regiment, the first Pennsylvania cavalry, the 
eighth and sixteenth Virginia regiments. The contest 
was then renewed, and was maintained with great spirit 
on both sides. The enemy were expelled from their 
position, with the loss of a portion of their camp equipage. 
The struggle was still continued with an uncertain issue. 
Night was approaching when General Bayard ordered 
Colonel Kane to proceed with the Bucktail rifles to 
explore the dense forest of pines to the left. This brave 
company, numbering about a hundred and thirty men, 
at once advanced toward the almost invisible enemy. 
They suddenly found themselves surrounded, both in 
front and on the flank, by a numerous body of Rebels,, 
consisting of four regiments of cavalry, together with 
artillery But the Bucktails did not flinch in this emer- 
gency, and opened their fire with deadly effect upon the 
serried masses around tliem. Their valor was vain and 
26 



402 A HISTORY OF 

fruitless against such overwhelming numbers. Their 
ranks were quickly thinned by the destructive attack of 
the foe. Their gallant commander was wouijded and 
captured. Nothing now remained but to retreat with the 
wreck of their corps. This feat they performed leisurely 
and without precipitation, halting from time to time to 
return the shots of the pursuing Rebels. The loss of 
the Bucktails was about six killed, thirty-six wounded, 
ten missing ; that of the remaining Federal troops was 
eighteen killed, forty wounded, thirty missing. The loss 
of the Rebels was also severe. As General Fremont did 
not wish at that unpropitious time to court a general 
engagement, his troops were withdrawn when darkness 
overspread the scene. In this battle General Ashby, the 
bold and chivalrous commander of the Rebel cavalry, was 
slain. 

On the next day, the 9th of June, the pursuit of- the 
enemy was continued. The Rebels were then in full 
retreat toward Port Republic. General Blenker com- 
manded the left wing, General Milroy the right, General 
Schenck the centre of Fremont's forces. The reserve 
.consisted of the brigades of Stahl and Bayard. The 
.advance of the Federals was so close upon the rear guard 
of Jackson, that the latter had scarcely time to cross the 
Shenandoah to avoid capture. General Tyler commanded 
the advance of Shields' division, which afterward engaged 
the enemy. The action which ensued took place at Port 
Republic, seven miles beyond Harrisonburg, on the route 
toward Staunton. The number of Federal troops en- 
gaged was about three thousand ; that of the enemy was at 
least eight thousand. General Jackson had posted the 
latter in the woods so as to outflank the Federals on the 
left. The batteries of Captains Clark and Robinson were 
;i]rst brought forward and were made to bear upon them 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 403 

■with effect. Several companies of skirmishers were tlien 
ordered to penetrate into the woods, to feel the enemy. 
The Rebels soon advanced from their retreat, and prepared 
to attack the Federals by a combined front and flank 
movement. The seventh Indiana infantry, under Colo- 
nel Gavin, were sent to the right to counteract the 
operations of the Rebels at that point. They were there 
assailed by two regiments advantageously posted under 
cover of the banks of the Shenandoah. So destructive 
was the fire of the Rebels here, that Colonel Gavin was 
compelled to retire. The twenty-ninth Ohio was then 
sent forward to support him; while the seventh Ohio 
was dispatched to the aid of Clarke's battery, and the 
fifth Ohio to the help of Huntingdon's battery. The 
first Virginia regiment was posted on the extreme right ; 
and the whole of the Federal troops of General Tyler's 
brigade being at length in position, the battle became 
general. The artillery of the Rebels was served with 
great energy and skill. During the progress of the en- 
gagement on the right wing, the Rebel commander 
placed additional troops in such a position as to attack 
the Federal batteries posted there with immense vigor, 
and eventually to capture them. The seventh and fifth 
Ohio were afterward brought to bear upon the foe with 
such success that these batteries wgre retaken. For a 
short interval the heroism of the Federal troops, though 
fighting against a much superior force, rendered the issue 
of the day doubtful, and almost wrested a triumph from 
the inevitable victors in so unequal a struggle. But at 
this crisis immense reinforcements were seen crossing 
the river from the town of Port Republic to the aid of 
the Rebels ; and to have encountered these also, would 
have been to invite destruction. General Tyler therefore 
gave the order to retreat. Unfortunately, it was found 



404 A HISTORY OF 

impossible to remove tlie heavy guns, the horses beiug 
nearly all either killed or disabled ; and they fell into 
the hands of the enemy. The Federals, however, 
captured one gun and sixty-seven prisoners. They 
retreated and the Eebels pursued, until the former ap- 
proached the main body of General Shields's division ; 
when the Rebels fled in their turn. The Federal loss on 
this occasion was about one hundred killed, four hundred 
and twenty wounded, three hundred missing. The loss 
of the Rebels, though its exact number is unknown to 
us, was also • heavy. On the advance of Fremont after 
the battle, two hundred of their dead were counted on 
the field, and many had already been buried. A number 
of valuable Federal officers had been slain. One of the 
companies of the Bucktail regiment lost all its officers, 
both commissioned and non-commissioned. The battle 
of Port Republic, though desperately contested during 
five hours, was in reality a repulse to the Federal arms. 
The exposed and isolated position of the advance of 
General Shields, rendered the troops who belonged to it 
an easy prey to the overwhelming and concentrated 
masses of the enemy, and invited their assault under 
circumstances extremely unfavorable to the Union forces. 
After this engagement the retreat of Jackson was 
continued toward Staunton, and eventually to Richmond. 
No engagement of any importance took place between 
him and the troops of General Fremont subsequent to 
the battle of Port Republic. On the 25th of June tlie 
armies of Fremont, McDowell, and Banks were consoli- 
dated by the President into one body, to be designated 
by the title of the Army of Virginia ; and the chief com- 
mand of it was conferred on General John Pope, the hero 
of New Madrid, and of Island Number Ten. By this 
arrangement the forces of Fremont constituted the first 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLIOJvT. 405 

firmy corps; those of Banks, the second; those of 
McDowell the third. General McCall's division, ten 
thousand strong, which had formed part of McDoaa'cH's 
corps, was transferred at once to the army under 
McClellan. This new arrangement, which the President 
had adopted for the purpose of giving greater energy 
and efficacy to the movements of the troops in the valley 
of the Shenandoah, was readily acquiesced in by Generals 
McDowell and Banks ; but it did not meet the approba- 
tion of General Fremont. He regarded it as an act of 
injustice to him ; as calculated to diminish his personal 
consequence in the service, and to injure his reputation 
with the community. He therefore resolved to withdraw 
from the service, and notified the Secretary of War of 
his intention to that effect. Thus ended the brief 
campaign of General Fremont in the valley of the 
Shenandoah. It cannot be affirmed that the spirit which 
marked the abandonment of his command in Virginia, 
was characterized by the same rare degree of patriotism, 
dignity and self-denial which had adorned his conduct 
when removed from his administration in Missouri. 
From the camp and the battle-field he retired to the 
repose of private life, to observe in his retreat the 
marvelous vicissitudes of a contest in which he had 
enacted, if not the first, yet an honorable part. Never- 
theless, it must be admitted, that the chief glory of the 
career of this eminent man will always be associated 
with his adventures and achievements as an explorer of 
the untrodden solitudes of the remotest West ; where he 
became the pioneer to discover the way to new realms, 
in which a youthful but mighty people could find one of 
tlie most profitable and appropriate arenas for the exer- 
cise and development of their gigantic energies. As the 
heroic and resolute "Pathfinder" to the golden climes of 



406 A HISTORY OF 

the modern Eldorado, across tlie frozen precipices and 
through the abysmal gorges of the Rocky Mountains, 
his name will live, and will be justly honored on the 
pages of American history through many generations to 
come. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 407 



CHAPTER XXiy. 

PROMIXEXOE OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN THE EVENTS OF THE WAR — 
FLEET OF GUNBOATS COMMANDED BY COMMODORE DAVIS — EVACUATION 

OF FORT PILLOW THE NAVAL BATTLE BEFORE MEMPHIS RELATIVE 

STRENGTH OF T1IE COMBATANTS INCIDENTS OF THE ENGAGEMENT 

DEFEAT OF THE REBEL. FLEET — COLONEL ELLET — RESULTS OF THE 

VICTORY — GENERAL NEOLEY'S EXPEDITION AGAINST CHATTANOOGA 

COLONEL UAMBRIGHT — INCIDENTS OF THE EXPEDITION ITS RESULTS 

GENERAL JIORGAN EXPELS THE REBELS FROM CUMBERLAND GAP 

DISASTER TO THE FEDERAL ARMS AT JAMES ISLAND — DESCRIPTION OF 
THE REBEL WORKS — ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ATTACK — INCIDENTS OF 
THE ENGAGEMENT — ULTIMATE DEFEAT OF tHE FEDERAL TROOPS — THEIR 
RETREAT — FEDERAL LOSS — GALLANTRY OF THE REBEL COMMANDER 

LAMAR EXPEDITION OF COLONEL FITCH UP THE WHITE RIVER — THE 

ENGAGEMENT AT ST. CHARLES HORRIBLE ACCIDENT TO THE MOUND 

CITY EXECRABLE CRUELTY OF CAPTAIN FRY CAPTURE OF THE REBEL 

FORTS — FINAL SUCCESS OF THE EXPEDITION — EXCURSION OF COLONEL 
HOWARD FROM NEWBERN TO SWIFT CREEK — ITS RESULTS — BOMBARD- 
MENT OF VrCKSBURO COMMENCED PERILOUS PASSAGE OF COMMODORE 

FARRAGUT'S FLEET NEW CHANNEL OF THE MISSISSIPPI, 

OxE of the most brilliant pages in the history of 
the war against Secession, is that which records tlie 
achievements of the champions of the Union on the 
^Mississippi river. On the great "Father of Waters" 
defeats and disasters, though not wholly unknown, were 
unfamiliar things: triumph and supremacy were the 
prevalent features which marked the scene. On the 6th 
of June, 1862, the fleet of Federal gunboats and rams 
commanded by Flag Officer C. 11. Davis, comprising 
eight vessels, approached Fort Pillow, located on the 
banks of the Mis.sissippi, in the vicinity of Memphis. It 
was the intenticm of the commodore to bombard the 



408 A HISTORY OF 

Rebel works, wTiicli were of considerable strength, 
mounting six one hundred-and-twenty-eight pounders and 
fifteen sixty-four pounders. But the enemy evacuated 
the place, together with Forts Randolph and "Wright, 
rendering an attack unnecessary. These places were 
then occupied by a requisite number of Federal troops. 

Commodore Davis then proceeded with his fleet toward 
Memphis, A formidable Rebel flotilla awaited his 
approach. It consisted of eight gunboats which respec- 
tively bore the names of the General Bragg, the Lovell, the 
Jeff. Thompson, the Beauregard, General Van Dorn, the 
Sumter, General Price and the Little Rebel. They were 
commanded by Commodore Edward Montgomery. They 
bad previously been coasting steamers, and had been 
converted into gunboats. They carried from two to 
twelve heavy guns each, which were worked en harheiUi 
on carriages. In the action which ensued the gunboats 
of Commodore Davis which were brought into action, 
were the flag ship Benton, the Louisville, Cairo, Saint 
Louis, and Carondelet. In addition to these there were 
four steam rams, commanded by Colonel Charles Ellet, 
named the Queen of the West, Monarch, Lancaster and 
Switzerland. During the night preceding the battle, the 
Rebel fleet moved down the river toward Memphis. At 
that time Commodore Davis lay at anchor two miles 
above the city. When the morning of the 6th dawned, 
the Rebel fleet was seen steaming up in line of battle. 
They were soon met by the Federal vessels in gallant 
style opposite Memphis. The inhabitants of that city 
swarmed in multitudes upon the levee, the bluff, and the 
roofs of the houses adjacent to the river. The stores 
were closed and all business suspended, during a day 
which was destined to witness one of the most complete 
defeats to the Rebel arms which had yet overtaken them. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 409 

The engagement began at lialf-past five in tlie morning. 
While the vessels were approaching each other Colonel 
Ellet ordered two rams, the Queen and the Monarch, to 
proceed down the river and pass between the Eebel boats 
and the shore. The current was strong, the river was 
narrow, and the enemy, from their position in fighting 
up stream, possessed the advantage of the steerage way. 
The two rams having reached the desired position, 
rounded to and commenced the engagement. The Queen 
drove with prodigious force into the General Price, one 
of the Rebel rams, taking her wheel completely off; and 
after a short exchange of shots the latter sank. Soon after- 
ward the Queen was herself run into by the Beauregard, 
and being struck on the wheel-house witb tremendous 
violence was severely disabled. The Monarch then 
approached the Beauregard, and saluted her with a 
ferocious butt in the bow, which completely disabled her. 
She subsequently sank ; though her crew were rescued by 
the timely interposition of the Little Rebel. The Benton 
and the Lovell then came into action. The fifty-pound Par- 
rott guns of the former produced an immense efi'ect on her 
antagonist. She was raked fore and aft, some of the 
shots penetrating her sides. In five minutes her boilers 
exploded, and the most horrible spectacle was presented 
to view. Iler crew, scalded, suffocated, and suffering 
the intensest agonies, rushed upon deck and filled the 
air with their frantic screams, praying for help. The 
vessel immediately began to sink, and it was with diffi- 
culty that a yawl, sent from the Benton, was able to take 
off a few of the sufferers, before she went down in a 
hundred feet of water. Nearly all her crew were 
drowned; and their last exclamations of terror and 
despair mingled with the seething and bubbling sound 
of the waves, as she descended forever from view. 



410 A HISTORY OF 

The remainder of the Ecbcl flotilla had thus for been 
engaged at long range. The Beauregard had been com- 
pletely riddled with shot; was rapidly becoming unman- 
ageable ; was filling with water ; and was drifting help- 
lessly toward the shore. She eventually sank upon a 
shoal to her decks. The Little Kebel was struck by two 
shots upon her upper works ; she was then run ashore by 
her commander, abreast of President's Island, and was 
eventually abandoned by lier crew. Disasters now came 
thickly upon the rest of the vessels of the enemy. By 
this time the Jeft'. Thompson was on fire ; and the flames 
soon gained such headway that it was impossible to ex- 
tinguish them. The fiery tongues of the destroying 
element ran hither and thither over her whole extent, 
enveloping every portion of it. Soon her wheel-houses 
disappeared, then her chimney fell overboard, tearing 
with it a portion of her deck ; at length her magazine 
exploded. The concussion shook the earth, uprolled the 
tranquil bosom of the Mississippi in multitudinous 
billows, and filled the air with hundreds of flying shells. 
At last nothing remained of the once formidable vessel 
except a few blackened and charred timbers, which 
leisurely floated away in fragments on the surface of the 
river. The Sumter now became disabled by the steady 
and destructive shot of the Federal boats, and was 
drifted ashore at the foot of -President's Island. There 
she was abandoned. The General Bragg, unable any 
longer to continue the contest, retreated down the river, 
and was run ashore about three miles below Memphis. 
She was also abandoned by the Rebels. When the 
Federal victors from the Benton boarded her, they found 
twice the ordinary pressure of steam upon her boiler ; thus 
proving the evident intention, on the part of her late 
occupants when leaving, to blow her to atoms. A prize 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. ' 411 

crew was tlien placed on board, tlie stars and stripes 
were unfurled, and she was towed to an ancliorage at 
Mempliis. About tbe same time, a shot penetrated the 
boiler of the active and dauntless Little Eebel. It ex- 
ploded, and she was at once completely disabled. She 
started to reach the Arkansas shore, but was overhauled 
and taken. Thus the entire fleet of the enemy was either 
captured or destroyed, in an engagement which did not 
continue longer than an hour and a half, with the single 
exception of the flag-ship Van Dorn. This vessel, in 
consequence of her superior speed, being fleeter than the 
Federal gunboats, made her escape. She was pursued 
eight miles below Memphis, where the futile chase was 
relinquished. A more complete and wholesale defeat 
could scarcely be imagined, than that which had thus 
overtaken this famous Mississippi flotilla. Its com- 
mander Commodore Montgomery, with most of his 
ofi&cers and some of his men, succeeded in making their 
escape to the forests on the Arkansas shore. Their loss 
in killed and wounded was heavy, probably not less 
than a hundred. The Federal loss was comparatively 
light. Commodore Ellet, the brave commander of the 
Union rams, was wounded during the action by a pistol 
shot in the leg. It was a singular fact that he alone, of 
all the Union soldiers in this engagement, should have 
been struck by the enemy ; and that he should afterward 
expire from the combined effect of the wound, general 
exhaustion, and unskillful treatment. Among the Fede- 
ral vessels, the Queen of tlie West had been the most 
severely disabled. Iler machinery was so terribly jarred 
by the vigorous butting of the Eebel rams, as to be 
unable to move, and she was towed to her anchorage 
after the termination of the battle. 

Immediately after the engagement the victorious fleet 



412 A HISTORY OF 

steamed up to the lauding at Memphis. Commodore 
Davis then dispatched a messenger to John Parke, the 
major of the citj, informing him that he had taken 
possession of the place, that he would put it under 
military authority, and that he desired his cooperation 
in the preservation of order. To this communication 
Mayor Parke responded, that the municipal authorities 
of Memphis possessed no means of resistance, and that 
he would be happy to comply with the request of Com- 
modore Davis, and assist him in the preservation of 
peace and order. A portion of the Federal troops were 
subsequently quartered in the city, the national colors 
were unfurled from the public buildings, and the supre- 
macy of the Federal Government again established in 
one of the chief marts of Tennessee. The ultimate conse- 
quences of this victory were very important. It assisted 
materially in clearing the Mississippi of the presence and 
the power of the Rebel gunboats. With the single ex- 
ception of Vicksburg, every other stronghold of the foe 
on that great river had now been removed ; the conquest 
of Vicksburg alone was necessary to complete the 
triumph ; and by this means one of the chief arteries of 
the body of the Rebel Confederacy would be effectually 
severed. It was confidently expected that that desirable 
result would be accomplished at an early period. 

Other triumphs to the Federal arms occurred, nearly 
at the same time, on the soil of Tennessee. The Rebels 
had erected strong batteries at Chattanooga, a flourishing 
town in Hamilton county, a hundred and forty miles 
southeast of Nashville. It was the eastern terminus of 
the railroad from the capital of the State and the point 
of connection with the railways of Georgia. It was also 
a valuable shipping point for Middle and Eastern Ten- 
nessee. General Mitchell, appreciating the importance 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 413 

of tlie position, determined to attack it with one of tliose 
brilliant and sudden assaults by which he had already 
distinguished himself. He entrusted the execution of his 
enterprise on this occasion to General Negley. Chatta- 
nooga being situated on the Tennessee river, at the head 
of the light draught navigation, commanding the moun 
tain region in East Tennessee, being also a great railway 
centre, and being directly connected by them with West- 
ern Virginia and even with Kichmond, fully justified the 
risks which were run to attain its possession, and to 
wrest it from the occupancy of the enemy. 

Starting forth from the camp of General Mitchell at 
Tluntsville in Alabama, Colonel Hambright, under the 
orders of General Negley, rapidly approached Chatta- 
nooga, routing and dispersing on his way a body of 
Kebel cavalry, commanded by General Adams. On the 
7th of June he commenced an attack on the batteries of 
the enemy at that place. After a vigorous cannonading 
of three hours duration they were silenced and evacuated. 
On the next day the town was shelled. In six hours the 
Kebels were driven from all their works, and were forced 
to evacuate the place entirely. As they retired they 
burned the railroad bridges, in order to prevent the 
pursuit of the Federal victors. Eighty prisoners were 
taken. A large number of horses and cattle, intended 
for the Kebel service, were also captured. The Kebel 
works were completely destroyed, and the place unfitted 
for future hostile operations. This conquest relieved the 
loyal citizens of that vicinity from the heavy yoke of 
the Kebel authorities which had so long galled them, 
and confirmed their attachment to their legitimate 
government. It wrested from the enemy all the advan- 
tages which the possession of the town had given them, 
from its peculiar position as the great railroad centre, to 



414 A HISTORY OF 

wliicli we have already referred. After this achievement 
General ISTeglej returned to camp with the trophies of 
his victory. His loss was two killed, seven wounded, 
three missing. 

The advantages thus gained were increased in Ten- 
nessee on the 17th of June, when General Morgan ad- 
vanced toward Cumberland Gap for the purpose of 
attacking and expelling the Eebel Generals Stevenson 
and Smith, who occupied it with thirteen thousand men. 
This gap is a cleft in the Cumberland Mountains, which 
run from the northeast to the southwest through the 
State ; and it is so deep and so narrow that there is room 
through the gap for only a single roadway. The Eebels 
had fortified it with great assiduity. Its importance as 
an entrance to Eastern Tennessee justified their efforts 
in reference to it. It was expected that they would 
defend its possession with the utmost tenacity. No such 
result followed. When the Eebel leaders were informed 
of the approach of the Union force under General 
Morgan, they evacuated the place. They left several 
hundred tents standing, and they threw vast quantities 
of their projectiles over the cliffs into the yawning 
ravines below. Their mortar guns were spiked and 
their carriages mutilated. After thus rendering what 
they left behind them as useless as possible, the whole 
force retreated. The Gap was then occupied by the 
Federal troops, another avenue of communication was. 
opened between the loyal citizens of Eastern and West- 
ern Tennessee, and another stronghold of the Eebels 
^ destroyed. 

From these successes in the interior of the country, we 
turn to view the operations of the Federal arms on the 
Atlantic seaboard. There the tide of fortime turned 
against the Federal arms, and a disastrous defeat over- 



THE SOUTIIEKX REBELLION. 415 

took tlicin in tlie vicinity of the renowned hotbed of 
rebellion. 

On the 16th of June General Benham, the second in 
command under' General Hunter in the Department of 
the South, attackec^ the works which the Eebels had 
erected on James Ishmd, in the neighborhood of Charles- 
ton ; and was ignominiously repulsed with heavy losses. 
The enemy had constructed a line of defenses running 
across this island, together with a fort and an observa- 
tory, in such a position as to enable them to overlook 
the operations of the Federal commanders. The purpose 
of General Benham was also to destroy a floating battery 
which had been anchored near Secessionville, and which, 
together with the works already named, presented serious 
obstacles to the further advance of the Federal forces 
toward Charleston and Fort Johnson. Secessionville was 
a small village, the summer resort of a few of the 
planters who resided on James Island, Its location is on 
the eastern side of the island, on the high bank of a 
creek which passes through the marshes of James and 
Morris Islands, and empties into the Stone river near its 
mouth. Five hundred yards south of Secessionville 
Colonel Lamar had erected a battery, flanked on its sides 
by the marsh and the creek. The Eebel troops posted 
here consisted of several companies *of the Charleston 
Light Infantry, and of the Charleston Battalion, with 
large detachments of the South Carolina volunteers, 
making in all about five thousand men. The Federal 
force selected to assault the works consisted of three 
brigades commanded by Generals Stevens, Wright, and 
Williams, comprising about three thousand five hundred 
men. The attack was commenced by General Stevens, 
whose troops consisted of the Michigan eighth, the Con- 
necticut sixth and seventh, and the Massachusetts twenty- 



416 A HIriTORY OF 

eighth regiments, supported bj^ a battery of four guns. 
The Michigan eighth led the van, and suffered more 
severely than any of their associates. The assault began 
at break of day. The Rebel pickets were driven in ; and 
a rapid advance was then made toward the fort. In 
effecting this movement the Federals encountered an 
open battery of three guns, which were posted about a 
hundred yards in front of the entrenchments. The 
Rebels were driven from these pieces, which were 
captured. It was evident that the occupants of the en- 
trenchments had been taken completely by surprise; but 
they were quickly aroused from their slumbers, and 
received the assailants with the utmost resolution. 

In the engagement which ensued, General Wright's 
brigade supported General Stevens on the left, while 
General Williams was ordered to make a flank move- 
ment to the right, and from that quarter to join in tlie 
attack. As it was suspected that masked batteries were 
concealed in the woods in this direction, General 
Williams was advised to execute the movement with 
caution ; but he ordered his men to advance rapidly 
without taking any measures against surprise. The 
result \vas that, as soon as his forces reached their desired 
position at the side of the fort, a powerful battery opened 
upon them from an opposite direction, which, together 
with the fire in their front, produced a deadly effect. 
The fighting on both sides now became fierce and 
desperate. The works were surrounded by deep ditches, 
and surmounted by high parapets. The eighth Michigan 
and New York seventy-ninth assailed the fortifications 
in front with dauntless heroism. They succeeded in 
filling the ditch, and constructed a causeway at one 
point, under the close and heavy firing of the enemy. 
Repeated onsets were then made, and determined strug- 



THE SOUTHERN" EEBELLION". 417 

gles took place to storm the works ; but though often on 
the verge of success, the Federals were as often repulsed 
and driven back by the indomitable resistance of the 
enemy. It is probable indeed, that if, at one time during 
the contest in front, a judicious and vigorous cooperative 
movement had been made on the flank, the assault might 
have been successful ; but such was not the case. The 
Eebels were effectually aided in their defense by the 
firing from Fort Johnson, which was located at some 
distance to the right. Many of the gunners in the fort 
were killed ; especially when, after being repulsed from 
the attack in front, the Federal troops drew off and 
renewed the assault on the right flank. There three 
regiments deployed in line of battle, and being partially 
protected by a growth of underbrush, poured into the 
fort a continuous and deadly fire, at the distance of a 
hundred and fifty yards. Some of the gun-carriages in 
the entrenchments were perforated by their balls. This 
assault might have proved more successful, had not the 
Louisiana battalion, commanded by McHenry, come to 
the rescue, formed on the right facing the marsh, and 
opened their fire upon their assailants with such effect 
that the latter were compelled to recede after suffering 
heavy losses. Another desperate attempt was made to 
carry the works by passing further out to the westward, 
and attacking the fort directly in the rear. But this 
intention was also defeated by the stubborn and resolute 
resistance made by the Eutaw regiment. 

At length it became evident that the assault was a 
total failure, and a general retreat was ordered. The 
third New Hampshire troops were the last to leave the 
disastrous field, and narrowly escaped being captured by 
several regiments of Soutli Carolina. Two Federal gun- 
boats which* then lay in tlie Stone ]-ivcr were unable to. 
27 



418 A HISTORY OF 

render mucli assistance, in consequence of their remote 
position ; but during the retreat, in attempting to shell 
the pursuing Eebels, they did nearly as much damage to 
their allies as to their foes. The entire enterprise was a 
most miserable disaster. Scarcely so great a military 
abortion had been perpetrated by any other Federal 
commander during the entire war. General Benhara 
was afterward summoned to Washington to explain and 
justify his conduct. The total loss of the Federal forces 
in killed, wounded, and missing, was five hundred and 
twenty-nine. This large number demonstrated that the 
Federal soldiers had fought with the courage and de- 
termination which usually characterized them ; and that 
their defeat was the result of causes which they could not 
possibly control, and for which they were not in the least 
degree responsible. In this action the Eebel Colonel Lamar 
was wounded. He had exhibited a degree of valor and 
skill which would have conferred honor upon a much 
nobler cause, than that in defense of which he had ex- 
pended it. The eifect of this misfrotune on the minds of 
the loyal community was extremely discouraging; inas- 
much as they regarded Charleston and the Eebel works 
in its vicinity with peculiar repugnance, as being the 
real centre and efi'ective source of a rebellion which had 
inflicted so many and such great calamities on the 
nation. 

On the 12th oi June an expedition was sent from 
Memphis under the orders of Colonel Fitch, for the 
purpose of sailing up the Whi:e river as far as Jackson- 
port, and conveying supplies and ammunition to the army 
of General Curtis. It was understood that the Eebels 
had placed obstructions in the stream, and that they had 
erected fortifications at St. Charles, an insignificant 
cv^illage about eighty -two miles above its junction with 



r' 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 419 

the Mississippi. The expedition consisted of four iron- 
clad gunboats, namely: the flag-ship Mound City, the 
St. Louis, Lexington, and Conestoga, with the armed tug 
Spitfire, and three transports. The land force on board 
consisted of the forty-sixth Indiana regiment. The first 
success of the expedition was the capture of a new and 
valuable Eebel steamer, the Clara Dolsen. The second 
and more important achievement was the attack and 
reduction of the works which had been constructed at 
St. Charles. 

, It was on the 17th of June that the fleet, having pro- 
ceeded slowly about eighty miles up the White river, 
suddenly encountered the batteries which the enemy had 
erected. These were so concealed in the thick forest 
and brushwood on the Arkansas shore, that their position 
could only be conjectured from the direction of their 
shot. As the Union fleet approached, the Eebels com- 
menced to fire upon them. Their guns were not very 
heavy, but they were aimed with more than ordinary 
precision. Two shots struck the casemates of the St. 
Louis. The Mound City, being in the lead up the stream, 
which at this point is narrow though deep, immediately 
returned the fire. She was soon followed by the St. 
Louis and Conestoga. As the works of the Eebels con- 
sisted of two distinct batteries, the Mound City proceeded 
past the first toward the second, half a mile distant. 
Both were situated on a high bluff. As the Mound City 
advanced the second battery opened its fire upon her, to 
which she promptly responded. While the engagement 
was progressing between the gunboats and the forts. 
Colonel Fitch landed about five hundred men from the 
transports, on the southern shore of the river, for the 
purpose of attacking the works in the rear. Having 
reached the proper position, he signalled to the gunboats 



L_ 



420 A HISTORY OF 

to suspend tlieir fire, as it might injure his own men, 
and he felt able to take the forts hj a land assault. At 
that moment one of the most horrible catastrophes 
occurred which the mind of man can conceive, and to 
which few parallels can be found in the bloody annals 
of war. A ball from the enemy, cylindrical in shape, 
armed with iron flanges on each side, known as a "pigeon 
shot," struck the Mound City on the casemate on her 
port side, near the first gun. It came at an angle of 
ninety degrees. It passed through the casemate and 
severed the connecting pipe of the boilers. Instantly* 
the steam rushed with the rapidity of lightning into 
every part of the vessel below, which was crowded with 
the crew, a hundred and seventy-five in number, who 
had descended from the deck to avoid the shells of the 
enemy. The horrors of the scene which immediately 
ensued transcended all powers of description. The hot 
vapor burnt and withered in a moment the mass of 
living victims, inflicting instant death upon some, and 
upon the rest, agonies far more terrible than death. 
Forty-five expired instantly. The remainder, scalded to 
a crimson hue, screamed and groaned, writhing with 
intense suffering. They rushed simultaneously toward 
the portholes. Maddened and frantic with their insup- 
portable torments they threw themselves into the river. 
Soon seventy or eighty persons were struggling in the 
water. At that awful moment, when common humanity 
would have dictated even among savages a cessation of 
the contest, the Rebels continued to fire upon the drown- 
ing wretches, as with desperation they strove to reach 
the land. Very few succeeded in doing so. Out of a 
hundred and seventy-five, who but a few moments before 
were in vigorous life, scarcely thirty escaped. Captain 
Fry, the commander of the Ecbels, ordered his sharp- 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 421 

shooters to distribute tbemselves along the shore, and to 
pick off the exhausted fugitives as they approached. 
This diabolical command was obeyed with an eagerness 
of cruelty such as would have disgraced a Fejee islander. 
The chief officer of the Conestoga promptly lowered his 
boats, and endeavored to rescue those who were yet 
alive. As soon as these emissaries of mercy came 
within range, they were also fired upon by the enemy. 
Both the gigs were struck, but fortunately were not 
sunk ; and they succeeded in saving some from a watery 
grave. 

In the meantime the Federal troops on shore had 
reached the Kebel works; and having witnessed the 
scene enacted upon the river, assaulted the enemy with 
a commendable and intensified degree of enthusiasm. 
They soon charged upon them with the bayonet. A 
brief but desperate resistance was made. In a short 
time, however, the two forts were carried and occupied 
by the Federals. The enemy then fled toward St, 
Charles. Their entire force consisted of five hundred 
men. Of these fifty were captured ; about a hundred 
were killed and wounded ; the rest escaped. Among the 
prisoners was Captain Fry, the commander of the Eebels. 
He had formerly been an ofiicer in the Federal service. 
The indignation of the Union troops against him was so 
intense, that it was with difficulty that Colonel Fitch 
could preserve his life from their assaults, by extending 
to him a clemency and a protection which he did not 
deserve. Except for the calamity on the Mound City, 
the expedition would have had unmixed success. In the 
end, nearly a hundred persons died in consequence of 
the terrible accident which had occurred. In a few days 
the Federal fleet renumed its progress up the White 
Eiver ; the obstructions in the stream were removed ; and 



422 A HISTORY OF 

it eventually reached its destination witliout any further 
opposition or casualty. 

Among the minor movements which took place in 
different portions of the field of conflict, to which a brief 
allusion may be made, was one wliich, about this period, 
set forth from Newbern under Colonel Howard, for the 
purpose of expelling the roving bands of the Rebels from 
the peninsula which intervenes between the Neuse and 
the Pamlico rivers. The expedition consisted of the 
seventeenth Massachusetts, part of the Third New York 
cavalry, and a detachment of the Marine Artillery, with 
eight guns. These troops were placed on board the 
steamers Union, Allison, the Highland Light, and the 
gunboat Picket. Scarcely had these vessels sailed four 
miles up the Neuse, when they grounded on a bar, and 
their progress was stopped. General Foster was then 
informed by a messenger of the disaster which had 
occurred. He immediately sent the steamers Pilot Boy 
and Alice Price to the rescue. After some delay the 
vessels were relieved, and proceeded up the stream as far 
as Swift Creek, at which point the enemy were reported 
to have erected some breastworks, and to have made it 
the centre of their raids in the vicinity. The troops were 
disembarked, and so completely were the Eebels taken 
by surprise, that several of them were captured. The 
seventeenth Massachusetts, commanded by Colonel Fel- 
lows, then led the advance, and occupied Swift Creek 
village. Colonel Howard took possession of the bridge 
and shelled the Rebels, whose breastworks of shingle lay 
on the opposite side of the stream. A few shot were 
returned by the foe, when the order was given to the 
Federal forces to charge. The enemy did not await the 
onset. As the Union troops approached they abandoned 
their entrenchments in dismay, and fled through the 



J 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 4-23 

woods in all directions. Their running was so much 
better than their fighting, that only two prisoners were 
taken, although a vigorous pursuit was made. On examin- 
ation the works were found to be insignificant, and they 
could have presented little resistance to the Federal guns. 
After this easy conquest the troops returned to Newborn. 
The effect produced by the expedition upon the Eebels 
in the vicinity was beneficial; as their excursions in that 
portion of the country, in small detached companies, 
thenceforth terminated. 

The Federal commanders on the Mississippi continued 
their operations for the purpose of opening the naviga- 
tion of that great commercial artery, with the most com- 
mendable energy and ability. Vicksburg now alone 
remained, throughout its whole extent, in the possession 
of the enemy. The situation of this city was remarkable. 
It is built on the eastern bank of the river, on a con- 
siderable elevation. Steep bluffs exist both above and 
below it, whose height above the level of the stream is 
nearly a hundred feet. The Rebels had erected strong 
batteries in the vicinity of the town ; and their position 
was such, that the guns of the besieging vessels could 
not be brought to bear with much effisct upon them, 
while they, from their superior elevation, possessed every 
advantage. In other respects also the situation of the 
place was peculiar. x\t this point the Mississippi makes 
an abrupt bend, in shape not unlike a horse-shoe ; in- 
closing within its embrace a strip of land little more than 
half a mile in width. At the extremity of this bend the 
city is built. These topographical oddities suggested to 
the minds of the Federal commanders, at a later period, 
the expedient of cutting a canal across this peninsula, 
thus opening a new channel for the river, and setting 
back the city several miles from the mal'gin of the 



424 A HISTORY OF 

Stream which was the source of its opulence, the avenue 
of its commerce, and the chief implement of its resistance 
to the Federal Government. 

On the 21st of June Captain Porter, belonging to the 
fleet of Commodore Davis, who was then above Vicks- 
burg, made a reconnoissance in the Octarora, for the 
purpose of ascertaining the best position at which his 
flotilla might be anchored. General Van Dorn com- 
manded the Eebel forces at this place. These numbered 
eighteen thousand men. Having accomplished his purpose 
Captain Porter returned to his station. Commodore 
Davis then prepared to approach the city and commence 
the bombardment. On Thursday, the 26th of June, a 
formidable fleet consisting of about forty vessels of all 
descriptions, including transports, appeared before Yicks- 
burg.* An attack was immediately commenced which 
%vas chiefly directed against the fortifications on the 
bluflf below the town. The Eebel batteries responded 
with spirit. The firing continued during the whole day, 
and ceased only at the approach of night. On the next 
day it was resumed. In the afternoon the order was 
given to shell- the town. Then the water batteries of the 
enemy responded, and the contest was kept up during 
the rest of the day. At night all the Federal captains 

* The fleet of Commodore Porter consisted of the following 
vessels of war : Octarora, flag-ship, Geo. Brown Executive Officer ; 
Westfield, Commander W. B. Benham ; Harriet Lane, J. M. Wain- 
Wright ; Clifton, C. H. Baldwin ; Miami, A. D. Harrell ; Onasco, 
John Guest ; J. P. Jackson, S. E. Woodworth. Commanding divi- 
sions of the mortar flotilla were Lieutenant Watson Smith, com- 
manding first division ; Lieutenant W. W. Green, commanding 
second division ; Lieutenant R. R. Breese, commanding third 
division. The vessels composing the squadron of Commodore 
Davis were the Benton, Carondelet, Cincinnati, and Louisville. 
Those of Commodore Farragut, were the Hartford Brooklyn, Sciota, 
Oneida, Pinola, and the gunboats. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION". 425 

of divisions were summoned to meet the commander on 
his flag-ship. They there received directions to resume 
the fire upon the city during that night, from all their ■ 
mortars ; and to continue the bombardment until further 
orders. Accordingly, at the appointed moment the 
entire fleet of mortars, twenty in number, commenced 
the deadly music of their assault. The scene which 
ensued was extremely grand and imposing. The sound ^ 
of the guns resembled a continuous peal of thunder ; and 
the loud reverberations seemed to emulate the most 
furious discharges of heaven's artillery. The repeated 
explosions of the shells illuminated the midnight heavens 
fiir and near with incessant flashes of lurid light. The 
earth and river shook with the terrible concussions. 
The enormous shells, as they descended upon the doomed 
city, appeared like messengers of destruction from some 
distant and hostile sphere. Soon the city was in flames 
in various places; and after the lapse of an hour the 
order was given to suspend the bombardment. On the 
next day Commodore Farragut, who lay five miles below 
Yicksburg with his fleet of wooden vessels, sent word to 
the commander of the mortars above, that if he would 
engage the forts on the following morning before day- 
light, he would attempt to pass the batteries on the bluff 
and unite their fleets. The suggestion was complied 
with, and Ins entire flotilla, consisting of three men-of-war, 
two sloops-of-war, and three gunboats, succeeded in 
making the passage during the bombardment. The flag- 
ship of the commodore was struck twice in the hull, 
suffering some damage. The other vessels escaped 
serious injury. This action lasted an hour and thirty 
minutes. Its result convinced the Federal commanders 
that however much their sliot might injure the town, it 
Would be impossible to capture or destroy the batteries 



426 A HISTORY OF 

wliich lined the bluffs, "without the assistance of a land 
force. The entire fleet then proceeded a short distance 
above Yicksburg and anchored. The mere destruction 
of the town alone would have been barren of results. 
Commodore Farragut therefore resolved to reopen the 
navigation of the Mississippi, which was the chief matter 
in dispute, by digging a new channel across the peninsula 
already described, named Cross-bend, ' thereby leaving 
Vicksburg at a harmless and impotent distance from the 
passing stream. Hundreds of negroes were immediately 
impressed from the adjoining plantations, and set to 
work in digging. This novel undertaking would require 
to be half a mile in length, about fifty feet in width, and 
eio'ht feet below the water level. The chief disadvanta2;e 
which attended the enterprise was the fact that, at that 
period, the water of the river was falling instead of 
rising. ' During the engagement before the town, and in 
the passage of the fleet of Commodore Farragut, the 
Federal loss was fifteen killed and thirty wounded. That 
of the Eebels was severe among the troops of Van Dorn, 
who then occupied Vicksburg. Leaving the Federal 
commanders and their difficult enterprise at that city, 
which was still in an inchoate condition, we will turn 
our attention to the more important but not very felicit- 
ous events, which at this period transpired in the vicinity 
of the Eebel capital. 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 427 



CHAPTER XXV 

THE EXTRE.NCHMEXTS OF THE FEDERAL ARMY BEFORE RICHMOND — THEIR 

EXTENT INACTIVITY OF THE FEDERAL FORCES CONCENTRATION OF 

REBEL TROOPS IN RICHMOND GLOWING EXPECTATIONS OF THE LOYAL 

COMMUNITY THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT THE TRANSFER OF MCCLELLAN's 

BASE OF SUPPLIES AND OPERATIONS TO HARRISON's LANDING FIRST 

ATTACK OF THE REBELS ON HIS TROOPS AT MECHANICSYILLE INCI- 
DENTS OF THE BATTLE — COMMENCEMENT OF THE MARCH TOWARD THE 
JAMES RIVER — BATTLE OF GAINES MILL DESPERATE FIGHTING — HERO- 
ISM AND VALOR ON BOTH SIDES— VICISSITUDES OF THE STRUGGLE 

THE RETREAT CONTINUED TOWARD JAMES RIVER — DISPOSAL OF THE 
SICK AND WOUNDED— PERTINACIOUS PURSUIT BY THE REBELS SINGU- 
LAR CARAVAN OF WAGONS, CATTLE, AND FUGITIVES— BATTLE OP 
PEACH ORCHARD— ITS RESULTS— BATTLE AT SAVAGE'S STATION- 
RESOLUTE ASSAULTS OF THE ENEMY APPALLING SCENES IMPORTANT 

RESULTS THE RACE TO WHITE OAK SWAMP THE FEDERAL TROOPS 

WIN THE RACE. 

After the battle of Fair Oaks, which occurred on the 
first of June, 1862, the Federal army under General 
McClellan proceeded to assume its position before Rich- 
mond, to dig trenches and erect breastworks, and to 
prepare for a final assault upon the city. This magnifi- 
cent army consisted, when it first arrived before York- 
town, of a hundred and twenty thousand men. Subse- 
quently the divisions of General Franklin containing 
twelve thousand, of General McCall numbering ten 
thousand, and a detachment from Baltimore and Fortress 
Monroe including eleven thousand, were added' to it. 
Thus the entire number of Federal troops who had 
marched to the conquest of Richmond, tbrmcd a magnifi- 
cent array of about a hundred and fifty thousand men. 



428 A HISTORY OF 

The line of redoubts and entrencliments wliicli they 
erected and occupied as they lay before the city, extended 
nearly fifteen miles, in the form of a colossal crescent, 
the right extremity reaching to the Meadow Bridge at 
Hanover, the left resting upon Long Bridge at Henrico. 
Portions of this immense line were within view of Kich- 
mond, whose tapering spires and swelling domes were 
visible in the distance. The most efficient and numerous 
array of the nation, its pride and hope, after many 
months of assiduous preparation and of mysterious dela}'-, 
had at length reached the goal of their aspirations. The 
heart of this pestilent Rebellion lay directly before them. 
The last deadly blow at its pernicious life was anxiously 
expected from day to day by millions of patriots; when 
suddenly all was deranged by the new exigencies of tlie 
occasion, and by the unquestionable vigor, valor, and 
skill of the Rebel commanders who defended the city. 

During the long interval which elapsed between the 
battle of Fair Oaks and the first attack made on the 
Federal troops on the 26th of Jume, a large portion of 
the army which General Beauregard had unaccountably 
withdrawn from Corinth, was transferred to Richmond. 
General Jackson's force in the valley of the Shenandoah 
had also been summoned thither. It is probable there- 
fore that, at length, a hundred and fifty thousand Rebel 
troops had been concentrated in the vicinity of that city. 
These were the chief strength and glory of the apostate 
community whom they represented : and thus two nations 
were in reality to be the contestants on that far extend- 
ing and sanguinary field. One of the decisive battles of 
the world, at the occurrence of which the great horologe 
of time tolls out the extinction of an expiring age, and 
the birth of a new and a more glorious era, seemed now - 
to be impending. 



THE SOUTHEKN REBELLION". 429 

Unfortunately for tlie interests of the Federal cause, it 
became necessary, just at that period, for General 
McClellan to change the entire base of his operations, in 
consequence of the unfitness and insecurity of his source 
or avenue of supplies at White House. This place was 
located on the Pamunky, a tributary stream of the York 
river, some fifteen miles in the rear of the Federal posi- 
tion. Its remote and isolated situation rendered it possi- 
ble for the enemy at any time to intercept General 
McClellan's communications with it, which were main- 
tained by means of the Eichmond and York river rail- 
road. It was constantly necessary to employ nearly a 
whole division of troops in guarding this road from the 
assaults of the Rebels, which had recently become more 
frequent and determined. The large number of Federal 
soldiers who had either died or had become unfit for 
duty, from diseases contracted in the swamps of the 
Chickahominy, through which a portion of their camps 
and entrenchments lay, and the increased superiority in 
numbers of the Rebel forces, rendered the continual 
defense of this line of communication both difficult and 
perilous. These considerations eventually convinced 
General McClellan of the necessity of receding from his 
position before Richmond, to a more secure and conveni- 
ent one at Harrison's Landing, on James river. Pre- 
liminary to commencing this retrograde movement, he 
made the proper arrangements for reshipping the vast 
stores of subsistence and ammunition which had been 
accumulated at White House, and transferring them by 
means of the fleet of Federal transports, to his newly 
selected cUp6L The order for the removal was issued 
about the 24th of June. It was executed between that 
date and the 28th. It was doubtless the novel and 
mysterious movement which was thus commenced, of 



430 A HISTORY OF 

wliicli the Eebels obtained early intelligence, wliicli 
induced them to venture on offensive operations, and to 
begin that extraordinary series of engagements which, 
during a whole week, raged with such destructive fury 
near the Kebel capital. 

It was about ten o'clock on the 26th of June, that the 
Eebel forces issued in vast multitudes from their camps 
before Eichmond, and commenced their bold and desperate 
assaults upon the Federal array. Their first demonstra- 
tion was an attack on the cavalry commanded by General 
Stoneman, which were posted in the vicinity of Hanover 
Court House, on the extreme right. "While this opera- 
tion was progressing, they extended their assault to the 
troops stationed nearest to these, which were posted in 
the vicinity of Mechanicsville. They crossed the Chicka 
hominy at Meadow Bridge, above that town, with the 
evident intention of turning the right wing of the 
Federal forces. The troops placed here were the eighth 
Illinois cavalry, six companies of the Bucktail regiment, 
and five companies of the Pennsylvania Eeserves. 
These were protected by rifle-pits and breastworks. As 
soon as the assault of the enemy began, their vast 
numbers, which appeared to swarm inexhaustibly in 
front and around the Federal lines, clearly proved that 
an attempt at resistance by so small a corps would be 
wholly useless. General Eeynolds immediately dis- 
patched a messenger to General McCall for reinforce- 
ments. During the interval which occurred before these 
could arrive, the Federals made a firm resistance ; and 
the Bucktails maintained their position with such obsti- 
nacy, that a large number of them were captured. 
About two o'clock the engagement became more general 
and more desperate. While advancing down by the 
rear of Mechanicsville, through low, swampy ground, 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 431 

the enemy were attacked by the Federals from the cover 
of their rifle-pits and earthworks with immense effect. 
A scene of great carnage and tumult ensued. Many of 
their men and horses sank in the mire, and became 
helpless targets for the Federal sharpshooters. By this 
time the action had spread along the line toward the left, 
and the troops of General McCall having been attacked, 
now engaged the enemy. 

A vigorous contest then took place, which occupied 
the remainder of the afternoon of the 26th. In vain the 
Eebels, advancing repeatedly with great resolution, 
endeavored to drive the Federals from their position. 
The latter remained immovable. At six o'clock, ap- 
parently becoming desperate at the want of success, the 
Eebels brought fresh troops to bear upon the assault, and 
the battle perceptibly increased in fury. At that period 
General Morell's division arrived opportunely on the 
field as a reinforcement. The second brigade of this 
division was called into immediate action. It was 
ordered to relieve the centre of General McCall's column. 
The fourth Michigan, the fourteenth New York volun- 
teers, the sixty-second Pennsylvania, and the ninth Mas- 
sachusetts, together with a battalion of Berdan's sharp- 
shooters, were drawn up in line of battle. The struggle 
which followed was well sustained and desperate on both 
sides. It continued without any advantage to either 
party, till half-past nine o'clock. The loss of the enemy 
during this period must have been very heavy ; as they 
were confronted by the Federal forces while protected in 
a great measure by their rifle-pits and breastworks. All 
their efforts to dislodge the latter proved fruitless. Late 
in the day they made a furious charge with cavalry. 
Tbey were met by a squadron of Federal horse, and 
driven back ; many of their horses sticking fast in the 



432 ' A HISTORY OF 

marsh, and being abandoned by their riders. General 
Fitz John Porter, who commanded the entire corps to 
which the divisions engaged on this day belonged, was 
present in every part of the field, and was ably assisted 
by Generals McCall, Morell, and Griffin. During the 
whole battle the artillery on both sides did the chief 
execution. Easton's Pennsylvania battery was particu- 
larly effective. At some periods the firing shook the 
earth, and the rapidity of the discharges indicated a most 
furious combat. At seven o'clock the enemy made a 
special effort to break the centre of the Federal troops 
engaged. This effort was confronted and defeated with 
great gallantry by General Griffin. The Pennsylvania 
Beserves on the left, commanded by Seymour and 
Reynolds, also fought with much heroism ; and succeeded 
in defeating the attempts of the Rebels to cross the bridge 
over the Chickahominy. Thus, when the close of the 
first day's fight arrived, the enemy had really gained 
nothing and had lost heavily. But they were not dis- 
heartened. They had merely made a beginning of the 
gigantic enterprise which they had conceived, and were 
resolute in its prosecution to a successful issue. 

During the night which ensued, orders were given to 
commence the removal of the camp equipage, the stores, 
and the ammunition of the Federal army toward the 
James river. Soon, long trains of wagons, several thou- 
sand in number, began their slow line of march, extend- 
ing for miles in the direction indicated. The sick and 
wounded were also conveyed, some toward White House, 
some toward Harrison's Landing. General Porter had 
been ordered to withdraw his forces from their recent 
position, nearer to the river. While these movements 
were progressing in the Federal camp, the Rebels were 
not idle. Immense reinforcements were promptly brought 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 433 

forward. The early dawn of the next day, the 27th of 
June, beheld sixty thousand Rebels under arms, ready to 
renew the assault. The Federals had gained some slight 
repose during the night; and though wearied, and about 
to be assailed by superior numbers, were undaunted by 
the impending terrors of their situation. General Porter 
had received orders to fall back to a position two miles 
beyond Gaines' Mill. In obeying this order General 
Sykes' division led the retreating column. Next came 
the division of General Morell. During the march 
perfect order was maintained ; but the enemy, mistaking 
the movement for a hasty flight, pressed forward in 
enormous masses, overtook the Federals near Gaines' 
Mill, and there resumed the assault upon them. Their 
advance had been temporarily impeded by the destruction 
of the bridge at the Mill. But soon they constructed a 
temporary causeway by which their artillery was con- 
veyed over, and the pursuit of the Federals was renewed. 
As their retreat was made at an unhurried and leisurely 
pace, it was not long before they were overtaken by the 
eager enemy. 

Then ensued the bloody action of Gaines' Mill. The 
scene of this conflict was an extensive area, about two 
miles in length, and one mile in breadth. This space 
was made up of green meadows, waving grain fields, thick 
woods, boggy marshes and rude ravines. Several farm 
houses existed within its limits, which were afterward used 
as hospitals. General Porter had been ordered to engage 
the advancing foe, if he were attacked, in this position. 
Accordingly at eleven o'clock all was ready to receive 
tliem; each division, each brigade, each regiment, and each 
gun had then been placed in its proper position. Along 
the far extending lines at proper intervals the immortal 
banners of the Republic appeared in view, waving 
28 



434 A HISTORY OF 

majestically and gracefully in the breeze, and bidding 
defiance to the approaching host. Bright guns in endless 
succession flashed in the morning light. The long ranks 
of Federal troops presented a firm and dauntless front. 
Generals with their staffs were seen riding rapidly from 
regiment to regiment, giving orders and perfecting their 
positions. After a short interval of silence and expecta- 
tion the sudden roar of the enemy's artillery, and the 
falling and bursting of their shells, gave evidence that 
they had recommenced the contest. 

The first firing came from the woods and from the 
roads on the right. The Federal cannon instantly 
thundered in reply at the still invisible enemy. At 
length, after a considerable period of time had been 
expended in this manner, masses of the Rebels emerged 
from the woods, deployed into positions in front of the 
Federal lines, and the engagement became general. It 
was fiercely contested on both sides. Several desperate 
attempts were made by the enemy to break through the 
Federal lines on the right and on the left ; but they were 
met in every instance with the unflinching firmness of 
veterans, and were invariably repulsed with heavy losses 
to the assailants. 

The battle continued to rage during the whole day, 
with the usual vicissitudes which characterize engage- 
ments in which brave men contend for the mastery with 
equal degrees of resolution and obstinacy. As evening 
approached, the energy of the attack of the Rebels 
diminished, and a sudden lull occurred ; but after a short 
-respite the contest was renewed by them with greater 
fury than before. It then became evident that, during 
this mysterious interval, the enemy had been largely rein- 
forced. Their troops now rushed forward in overwhelm- 
ing masses with savage and frantic yells. With answer- 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 485 

ing shouts the two armies approached each other, and 
dealt their death-blows upon their opposing ranks with 
increased ferocity. The combat now became most 
desperate and sanguinary. The Federals performed 
many deeds of the noblest daring and fortitude ; but soon 
the superior energy and vigor which portions of the 
Confederate columns exhibited, demonstrated that they 
had .the advantage not merely of a preponderance of 
numbers, but also of physical freshness. It was well 
that, at this critical moment, the Federals received 
some reinforcements from the other side of the Chicka- 
hominy. They consisted of the brigades of Generals 
Palmer, French and Meagher, with some cavalry. These 
Irish regiments, as was their usual custom, went into the 
fight with their coats off, and their sleeves rolled up ; and 
fought the exultant traitors with the fury and ferocity of 
tigers. Hundreds of Eebels then bit the dust, laid low 
forever by the stalwart blows of the gallant and pugna- 
cious sons of Erin, 

The carnage was still progressing all over the wide- 
spread field, when the sun disappeared in the western 
heavens, and the shadows of night were about to descend 
upon the tumultuous and sanguinary scene. The enemy 
had repeatedly endeavored to force the Federals into the 
low, marshy tract lying between Gaines' Mill and the 
bridge. To have been driven into that perilous position, 
would have insured the destruction of a large number of 
troops ; for it was impassable ground, and would have 
proved the weltering grave of thousands. At one time 
the Eebels had nearly succeeded in this undertaking. It 
was when the danger here was most imminent, that the 
wild rush and determined assault of the Irish regiments 
saved that portion of the army from destruction. During 
the progress of the day several partial panics had 



433 A HISTOKY OF 

occurred, and some rapid and frantic running to tlie rear 
had been achieved, by frightened fragments of the 
Federal forces. But the vast majority of them fought 
nobly and well. About forty thousand Union troops 
took part in this battle. In addition to those composing 
the corps of General Fitz John Porter, the divisions of 
Generals Hooker, Kearney, and Sumner were also 
engaged. The number of Kebels who figured in the 
contest was at least sixty thousand, as has already been 
stated ; and a large portion of these were fresh troops, 
who were substituted from time to time for those who 
had become wearied during the progress of the struggle. 
Notwithstanding this disparity of numbers, at the close 
of the day the Federals had not been driven from their 
position. The main body were still in their first lines 
near Gaines' Mill. The losses on both sides were very 
heavy. Many valuable Federal officers were slain. 
among whom was Colonel Black, of the sixty-second 
Pennsylvania regiment. The field was covered in many 
places with heaps of the dead and the dying. The 
plaintive groans of the wounded, after the roar of the 
conflict ceased, burdened the midnight air, and added to 
the horrors of the scene. The combatants on both sides 
slept upon their arms, except those who were detailed to 
bury the dead, to convey the wounded from the field, 
and to perform picket duty. 

While these operations were progressing on the right 
wing of the Federal army, an engagement took place on 
the left, where General Smith held a position consisting 
of breastworks and two redoubts. He was attacked on 
Friday evening at seven o'clock by the Georgia brigade, 
commanded by General Toombs. The latter were en- 
countered by Hancock's brigade, consisting of the sixth 
Maine, fifth Wisconsin, forty-third New York, and forty- 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 



437 



ninth Pennsylvania regiments, and by Brooks' fifth 
Vermont regiment. The guns in the redoubts assisted 
in the engagement, which was brief but desperate. 
After losing a hundred killed, whom they left on the 
field, the Georgians retired in disorder before the deadly 
and continuous fire of the Federal troops. This was the 
first battle at Golding's Farm. The second ensued on 
the following morning. Mortified at their defeat, the 
chivalrous Georgians determined to renew the contest. 
At eight o'clock they again advanced toward the re- 
doubts, and resumed the attack. The Federal troops 
were either protected by the breastworks, or were con- 
cealed by lying on the grass. They gave the Georgians 
a deadly reception. Colonel Lamar was mortally wounded 
in the commencement of the engagement, and his lieu- 
tenant colonel was taken prisoner. The result of the 
contest was the same as before, the Eebels being com- 
pelled to retire, after suffering very severe losses. 

During the following night the removal of the baggage 
trains, of the sick, and the disabled, toward James river 
and the White House was continued. The enemy had 
thus far gained but little advantage, and had been very 
severely punished. Still, however, deluded by the 
absurd and fantastic conceit that the retrograde move- 
ment of the Federal army was a mete flight before their 
invincible forces, they were determined to continue the 
contest. In the afternoon of the 27th the headquarters 
of General McClellan were removed across the Chicka- 
bominy, to the vicinity of Savage's Station. Thither vast 
masses of stores and ammunition had been transported, on 
their way to their new dtput on James river. Through- 
out this whole route the houses were converted into 
hospitals, and were occupied by the wounded of the 
Federal army. During Friday night the larger portion 



_^ 



438 A HISTOKY OF 

of the Federal forces crossed the Chickahominy, and thus 
obtained some advantage over the pursuing enemy. It 
should be observed here, that the battles of Mechanics- 
ville and Gaines' Mill took place on the left side of that 
stream. Those which afterward ensued were fought on 
the right side. This arrangement will be understood 
when it is remembered, that the Chickahominy flows 
southward into James river ; that in describing the events 
connected with it, the observer is supposed to be facing 
the mouth of the stream ; and that the points of the 
compass are to be taken accordingly. Notwithstanding 
the enormous losses which the Rebels had suffered, and 
although they had not as yet driven their opponents from 
a single one of their chosen positions, they persisted in 
claiming continual victories. Under this pleasing delu- 
sion they prepared, after the interval of a day, to renew 
the contest, and to endure additional and still more 
sanguinary slaughters, in the pursuit of a favorite and 
fanciful chimera. 

No attack was made on the main body of the Federal 
army on Saturday, the 28th of June. Early in the 
morning of that day the entire force which had so 
valiantly confronted the Rebel hosts, had crossed the 
Chickahominy by four bridges. These were then blown 
up or burnt, to intercept the pursuit of the enemy. 
Later in the day it was ascertained that they were cross- 
ing the stream at New Bridge, with the apparent inten- 
tion of moving round toward Bottom Bridge, to cut off 
the communication of the Federals with their railroad 
and telegraph. But Saturday wore away without any 
hostile operations on the part of the Rebels. The reason 
of this apparent inactivity was, that a large number of 
their troops were busily engaged in burying their dead, 
and in conveying their wounded from the scenes of the late 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLION. 4:39 

sanguinary engagements into Eichniond. Many of the 
wounded Federal soldiers also fell into their hands. 
During this day the Union army was withdrawn as far 
as Savage's Station. From that point several separate 
trains of cars, filled with the wounded, were sent down 
to White House. A third trip was about to be made, 
when it was ascertained that the enemy had cut the 
telegraph wires and had gained possession of Dispatch 
Station. A large proportion of the sick and wounded 
who were at Savage's Station were on this day placed in 
ambulances, and their removal to Harrison's Landing 
was commenced. But a sufficient number of these con- 
veyances were not to be obtained ; and except those who 
were able to walk, or even to crawl toward a place of 
safety, the remainder ultimately fell into the hands of 
the enemy. During Saturday night a vast amount of 
commissary stores, ammunition, and hospital supplies, for 
which there were no means of removal at command, were 
destroyed by orders of General McClellan. Four car- 
loads of ammunition, which had arrived from the White 
House during the previous week, were replaced in the 
cars ; and the entire train, headed by an engine, was let 
loose, sent down the railroad, and run into the Chicka- 
hominy at the bridge which had been burnt, to prevent 
it from falling into the possession of the Eebels. This 
train rushed forward on its pathway to destruction with 
fearful velocity, and at length plunged into the tranquil 
stream with a prodigious crash. Strange spectacles were 
exhibited by the multitudes of the wounded, and by the 
long lines of ambulances and wagons which, during this 
day, were toiling on their way toward James river. 
Hundreds of men went limping along, some with their 
arms in slings, some hobbling on crutches. The ambu- 
lances were all filled, and often the wounded would be 



440 A HISTORY OF 

seen sitting in the end of the wagons, their broken legs 
or crushed ankles hanging out, and the blood dripping 
from them upon the ground beneath. The heavy siege 
guns formed a conspicuous part of this singular and 
melancholy cortege. These, together with droves of 
cattle, crowds of negroes, teamsters, sutlers, and fright- 
ened fugitives of every kind, together with the noise and 
tumult, the swearing and screaming, which inevitably 
i attended such a throng, at such a time, presented a most 

j extraordinary combination of contrasts. Sometimes a 

' sudden terror pervaded the mass ; for then a report had 

I arrived that the enemy were interposing a powerful 

I column between them and the James river, thereby 

! cutting off their only means of escape. Then again 

i w^hen the falsity of this rumor was ascertained by the 

return of messengers who had been sent to the front, 
j hope would revive, and a gayer tone would animate the 

volatile and motley assemblage. 

Meanwhile orders had been sent to "White House to 
hasten the departure of the Federal troops from that 
station. These orders were obeyed with all possible 
dispatch, and the place was finally abandoned by the 
assembled transports and steamers at four o'clock on 
Saturday afternoon, June 28th. All the stores, ammu- 
nition and wounded had been previously embarked and 
safely removed. About seven o'clock in the evening, 
the pickets of the enemy began to make their appearance 
in the vicinity ; but they found only desolation and soli- 
tude. Even the insignificant building which had given 
a name and some celebrity to this locality, had been 
burned; although the author of the superfluous and 
barbarous de_ed remained unknown. 

At three o'clock on Sunday morning, June 29th 
General McClellan, attended by his staff and body-guard, 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 441 

left tliG pceno of his night's repose and rode forward 
toward Charles City, He -had directed his generals to 
abandon their entrenchments, to follow with their several 
divisions until intercepted hy the enemy, and then to 
give them battle. At daylight on Sunday morning 
General Smith began to retire. G(inerals Sumner, 
Heintzelman, Keys, and Franklin soon followed with 
their respective forces. Then came McCall's division, 
and last of all, those of Hooker and Kearney, who 
brought np the rear. As soon as the Rebel commanders 
observed that the Federal army was again in motion, 
they commenced to close in upon them ; but it was not 
till later in the day that a regular engagement took 
place between them. Then ensued the battle of Peach 
Orchard. The enemy approached the Federal troops by 
the Williamsburg road, and had reached a position, three 
hundred yards from the Federals, when the latter opened 
upon them with their powerful gun.s. The effect of the 
discharge upon the serried lines of the enemy was terrific. 
Their ranks wavered and staggered like drunken men 
before the continuous hailstorm of shot and shell which 
was poured upon them. The battle lasted from eight in 
the morning until noon. During this period the Rebels 
endeavored to outflank the Federals on the left, and 
intercept them on the Williamsburg road, but without 
effect. They charged several times oh the brigades of 
Burns, Gorman, and Dana, with the evident intention of 
crushing them in detail, but with no better success. 
The troops of Richardson, Heintzelman, Sedgwick, 
Sumner, and Meagher, fought with distingui.shed gal- 
lantry. All the efforts made by the Rebels to drive the 
Federals into a retreat from their position, were absolute 
failures ; and it was not until the Federal generals had 
become assured that the caravan of wagons, ambulances, 



442 A HISTORY OF 

and cattle of their army had crossed the White Oak 
swamp, and were safe from the immediate pursuit of the 
enemy, that they gave the order to fall back. This order 
was executed leisurely ; and having reached Savage's 
Station they again drew up in line of battle, to receive 
the advancinsr foe. 

O 

The contest which ensued at Savage's Station on the 
same da}'', was still more fierce and sanguinary. It 
commenced about five o'clock in the afternoon, and did 
not terminate until eleven o'clock at night. Before the 
attack began, the Eebels had been largely reinforced ; 
their next assault therefore was much more vigorous and 
destructive. They approached through a dense wood, 
which concealed them from view, until they were witliin 
a short distance of the Federal lines. They then suddenly 
emerged from the edges of the forest, ran out three or 
four batteries to commanding positions, and opened a 
rapid fire of shot and shell. This salute they kept up 
with such skill and resolution, that a portion of the 
Federals were overpowered and gave way. The one 
hundred and sixth Pennsylvania regiment broke and 
then fled in a panic, after losing a hundred men in killed 
and wounded. The Federal artillery could not for a 
time be served, all the men being either picked oft' or 
driven away from their guns. Never had the Eebels 
fought with more desperate courage. During the pro- 
gress of the battle the Federal forces were, on several 
occasions, in a very critical position. At one time an 
entire brigade of the enemy were observed to be moving 
stealthily down to the rig'ht, with the design of making 
an attack upon the flank. This intention was defeated 
by the promptitude with which Captain Pettit placed a 
battery in such a position as to sweep the entire column 
with grape and canister, which eventually compelled 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 443 

them to recoil, and relinquish their purpose. During 
the progress of tlie fight the Irish brigades greatly 
distinguished themselves, charging in some cases up to 
the very cannon of the enemy. One of the Eebel bat- 
^ teries they hauled off, spiked the guns, demolished the 
carriages, and then abandoned them. 

At length the shades of darkness descended upon this 
mortal combat, but they brought no termination to its 
horrors. The roar of the cannon, and the sharper, 
shriller sound of the musketry, continued to be deafening 
and incessant. The night was made as light as noonday 
at rapid intervals, by the lurid flashes of the artillery; 
and each discharge enabled the combatants to ascertain 
the position of their foes with more distinctness. To add 
to the terrors of the scene, the adjacent woods v/ere set 
on fire by the bursting shells ; and soon the conflagration 
rolled vast heaving volumes of smoke and flame far up into 
the vault of heaven, giving to the battle-field the appear- 
ance of a pandemonium. Thus the carnage and the 
contest raged until midnight. The losses on both sides 
were very heavy. The Rebels had done much damage 
by firing into the hospitals in which many of the 
wounded had been placed ; and they perpetrated this 
barbarity in spite of the significant white and red flags 
which were placed upon them. At twelve o'clock 
the Federal commanders received orders from General 
McClellan to fall back rapidly from Savage's Station, 
across White Oak swamp, inasmuch as the Rebels were 
endeavoring to intercept them. A desperate race ensued 
to determine who should first gain possession of that 
position. The Federals were compelled to leave all their 
wounded at Savage's Station in the hands of the enemy. 
And now the movement toward James river, which iiud 
begun in a leisurely and voluntary march thither, un- 



444 A HISTORY OF 

avoidably degenerated into a flight on the part of the 
Federals, and into a pursuit on the part of the enemy. 
The Federal soldiers knew this fact, and the resolution, 
not of hope but of despair, now actuated them. That 
wearied, overworked, but heroic band, who had engnged 
the enemy so often and so bravely, were compelled to 
exhaust the last powers of human endurance, in order to 
escape complete destruction. The race to reach the 
swamp was one of desperate energy, accompanied by 
equally desperate fighting; for the vast superiority of 
numbers which the Eebels possessed enabled them to 
keep up an attack on the rear of the Union army, while 
their main body strained- every nerve to overreach and 
intercept the front. The divisions of Heintzelman, 
Sumner, and Franklin were compelled to keep continu- 
ally in line of battle across the country, during this part 
of the retreat, in order to beat off the hordes of the enemy 
as from time to time they renewed the assault. At 
length the last wagon and the last cannon plashed 
through the waters of "White Oak creek. It was eight 
o'clock on Monday morning, June the 30th. The day 
was bright and hot. The fugitives were exhausted with 
their superhuman efforts in fighting and retreating. 
After crossing the creek, hundreds threw themselves 
upon the ground to rest, or crawling to the green margin 
of the limpid stream, leaned over, and drank to slake 
the burning thirst which consumed them. 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION. 445 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THK BATTLE OF WHITE OAK SWAMP — POSITION AXD OP.DER OF THE 
FEDERAL TROOPS TEMPORARY PANIC — DESPERATE FIGHTING — FOR- 
TUNATE ASSISTANCE OF THE GUNBOATS ON JAMES RIVER — HEROISM 

AND SKILL OF GENERAL HEINTZELMAN A GENERAL BAYONET CHARGE 

ON THE REBELS ITS RESULTS FIRST ENGAGEMENT AT MALVERN HILLS 

INCIDENTS OF THE FIGHT THE IRISH BRIGADE — COMPLETE DEFEAT 

OF THE REBELS' — THE FEDERAL ARMY REMOVES TO HARRISOn's LAND- 
ing results of the several battles before richmond artil- 
lery duel on the james river general hooker sent to recon- 
noitre and occupy malvern hill — thr march thither — engage- 
ment with the enemy — their defeat — immense reinforcemf:nts 
ordered from richmond — return of the federal troops to 
Harrison's landing — final evacuation of their camp by the 

federal army — its future destination federal losses during 

the peninsula campaign. 

A VERY brief period for repose was allowed to the 
Federal troops. They had indeed won the race to White 
Oak swamp ; but the vast army of the Rebels was in 
eager pursuit of them, and in a short time were upon 
their rear. Then followed another desperate engage- 
ment, named after the locality in which it took place 
Soon after crossing the White Oak creek the Federal 
generals formed their new line of battle with great energy 
and promptness. The chief of these officers were Heint- 
zelman, Sumner, Kearney, Porter and Hancock, The 
new position of the Federal forces extended about four 
miles in length. On the extreme right wing General 
Hancock was posted with his brigade. Next to him 
were placed the troops of Brooks and Davidson. The 
batteries belonging to this division were commanded by 



446 A HISTORY OF 

Captain Ayres. Then came the divisions of Sumner, 
TIeintzelman and Porter. The battle commenced with 
an attack by the enemy on the column of General 
Hancock. They openedx with about twenty batteries, 
which were served with such vigor and skill that they 
soon blew up several of Captain Mott's caissons, shattered 
his guns, and spread confusion among the teamsters, 
cannoniers and troops who came within their range. 
It was at this period that so complete a terror pervaded 
some of the regiments, that one of them, the twentieth 
New York, fled in the utmost disorder, and scattered in 
fragments in every direction. For this disgraceful pro- 
ceeding General McClellan, on the following day, ordered 
the provost marshal to arrest all the stragglers as they 
came into camp. 

After a short time, however, the Federals who had 
been attacked recovered their self-possession, and their 
guns responded to those of the enemy. The latter had 
not yet crossed the White Oak creek, and the engage- 
ment was still confined to the operations of the artillery. 
At length a portion of the Eebels made an attempt to 
cross the stream, but were met and repulsed with success 
by General Smith, whose brisk fire of infantry extended 
continuously along whole columns. Finding it impossi- 
ble to cross in front, the enemy detached a powerful force 
to proceed four miles due south to Charles City Cross 
Eoads, for the purpose of interposing between the Federal 
forces and James river, thereby intercepting their 
retreat. The position which they purposed to reach was 
within a mile and a half of Turkey Bend on that river ; 
and had they succeeded in their intention, they would 
have inevitably accomplished the ruin of the army, and 
prevented its successful establishment at Harrison's Land- 
ing. Fortunately, information of this movement of the 



THE SOUTHERN EEBELLION". 



447 



Rebels was obtained in time ; and Generals Porter and 
Keys so marshalled their wearied troops as to prevent 
its achievement. They reached the advancing columns 
of the enemy at four o'clock in the afternoon, and 
attacked them. The Eebels fought desperately, and 
their artillery produced a dreadful havoc in the Federal 
ranks. The latter were nearly dead already from the 
effects of heat, exhaustion and thirst ; and so little disci- 
pline remained that a' portion of those regiments which 
were nearest the James river, at one time broke ranks, 
rushed to its shores, plunged in, and after slaking their 
thirst returned to their colors, and resumed the fiofht. 
But the resistance of the Federal troops gradually 
became weaker. Human nature could endure no more. 
The fresh masses of the exultant Eebel army continued 
to press forward with still greater resolution. An over- 
whelming and decisive victory seemed about to crown 
the persevering efforts of the Eebel hosts, when, at the 
critical moment, a deliverer suddenly appeared. As at 
Pittsburg Landing, so in the present instance, the gallant 
navy of the Union rescued the land forces from destruc- 
tion. At that crisis the gunboats on the James river 
opened their fire upon the enemy. At five o'clock the 
enormous rifled guns of the Jacob Bell, Galena, and 
Aroostook, which were anchored in Turkey Bend, 
belched forth their colossal shells, with a detonation 
which completely drowned the feebler chorus of all the 
artillery on land, and terrified the foe by the unexpected 
presence of a more formidable antagonist. As the shells 
descended upon the serried masses of the Eebels and 
burst among them, whole ranks were battered to the 
earth by the flying fragments. Horrible havoc ensued. 
Confusion and terror were quickly diffused through 
their columns ; and they who, a few moments before, 



448 A HISTORY OF 

were confident of driving the Federal army into the 
James river, or of compelling it to surrender, themselves 
began to give way. 

Encouraged by the evident effect of the shot of the 
gunboats, the Federal commanders, of whom the most 
distinguished on this memorable field was General 
Heintzelman, determined to recover the fortunes of the 
day by making a combined and desperate charge. The 
gunboats were therefore signalled to suspend their 
fire. Preparations were quickly made to effect the 
intended movement. The great-hearted veteran whom 
we have just named galloped from column to column. 
He announced the purpose to charge in brief and thrill- 
ing words. He then returned to his position, and passed 
down, to right and to left, the stern order to advance. 
The bugles sounded ; and like the surging of a mighty 
deluge which had long been compressed within narrow 
limits, that mass of heroes, having caught new energy 
and strength from reviving hope, moved forward sublimely 
to the assault. The steady Massachusetts men of Grove r, 
the fierce and fiery brigades of Meagher and Sickels, the 
well drilled soldiers of Hooker, Kearney with his brave 
Jersey Blues, the resolute troops of Heintzelman, and 
others equally gallant, marched defiantly against the foe, 
with the determination to conquer or to perish. The 
enemy met their rushing tides at first with firmness; but 
nothing could long resist such a delirium of fortitude as 
seemed to pervade and to inflame their assailants. They 
gradually gave way; their lines broke; and they eventu- 
ally fled from the field in complete confusion. During this 
famous battle-shock, many were slain on both sides, and 
many prisoners were taken. The Eebels had previously 
captured a large number of guns, being portions of the 
batteries of Eandall, Mott and Ayres. In the entire 



THE SOUTHEKN REBELLION. 449 

engagement at White Oak swamp the Federal loss in 
killed and wounded was not less than three thousand 
five hundred. That of the enemy was undoubtedly as 
great, if not much greater. But the contest saved the 
Federal army from ruin or from capitulation ; and covered 
both the generals who commanded, and the soldiers who 
fought in it, with enduring renown. In vain had the 
best Eebel officers repeatedly put in practice their favorite 
tactics, of hurling fresh masses of troops on the Federal 
lines, first on one wing, then on the other, and suddenly 
in the centre. All was in vain. The goal had been 
safely reached. The glancing placid waters of the 
James river had at last greeted the longing eyes of the 
soldiers of the Union; and the possibility of their 
destruction or of a still more disastrous capture was for- 
ever averted. 

At the close of the battle of White Oak swamp the 
Federal array took possession of Malvern Hill in the 
vicinity of the river. General McClellan had selected 
Harrison's Landing, six miles below, as his future 
permanent camp, and thither the convoy of wagons, 
ammunition stores, and supplies of all sorts continued 
to be directed. The James river was crowded with 
transports and vessels of all kinds, to assist in the 
work of transportation. During Monday night the 
heroes of a seven-days battle rested from their hercu- 
lean labors. But their task was not yet completed. 
On Tuesday, July the 1st, the last of this memorable 
series of engagements, the battle of Malvern Hill, was 
fought. 

As an attack from the enemy was anticipated, the 

Federal army was drawn out in battle array at an early 

hour. Their line formed a magnificent semicircle, which 

presented a formidable front. General Keys with his 

29 



450 A HISTOEY OF 

command was posted on the extreme right. General 
Franklin's corps came next, then the troops of Sumner 
comprising the divisions of Sedgwick and Eichardson. 
The extreme left was occupied by Fitz John Porter. 
Heintzelman's corps, embracing the divisions of Hooker, 
Kearney and Couch, occupied the centre. Fifty heavy 
guns bristled along the lines from their freshly made 
earthworks. The battle commenced about noon with a 
vigorous cannonading on both sides. The enemy were 
commanded by Generals Lee, Magruder and Jackson, 
and opened the engagement with great spirit. Several 
hours passed away before the infantry came into action. 
At four o'clock the Rebels advanced, fiercely attacked 
the troops commanded by General Couch, and attempted 
to break the Federal line. The effort failed, and the 
assailants were driven back with great slaughter at the 
point of the bayonet. But they were not easily disheart- 
ened. After a short interval they made a still more 
desperate effort to accomplish their purpose. The Kebel 
commanders threw forward heavy masses of troops, 
assisted and protected by artillery, against the ranks of 
Porter and Couch; and continued for more than an hour 
to hurl forward fresh columns upon the Federal line. 
At one crisis their determined efforts seemed about to be 
successful in driving back the Federals. At that critical 
moment General Porter dispatched a messenger to 
General Sumner, requesting immediate reinforcements. 
The Irish brigade of Meagher, whose valorous troops 
seemed, in almost every emergency, to be the protecting 
Aegis of the Federal army in the peninsula, were imme- 
diately sent to the rescue. They advanced to meet the 
enemy with their usual enthusiasm. The wavering 
Federal lines were quickly steadied ; the Rebel host in 
turn recoiled ; and the periled fortune of the day was 



THE SOUTHERN" REBELLION. 451 

recovered. Thus the fight was continued until after 
nightfall. At ten o'clock the last gun was fired. During 
the progress of the engagement the most signal service 
had been rendered by the gunboats on James river. 
The immense shells from their rifled cannon tore shriek- 
ing and howling through the forests, and often exploded 
within the lines of the enemy, with a concussion which 
shook the solid earth, and scattered piles of dead and 
wounded on every hand. In all their efforts to drive the 
Federal forces from their position, the enemy had signally 
failed. After each advance they had been repulsed 
with heavy losses. The battle was to them an unquali- 
fied defeat. To prove that this statement should not be 
regarded as exaggerated or inaccurate, we might adduce 
many admissions made by the Rebels themselves. One 
of the most impartial of these will suffice. A leading 
Richmond journal said : " Ofiicers and men went down 
by the hundreds ; but yet, undaunted and unwavering, 
our line dashed on, until two-thirds of the distance across 
the interval was accomplished. Here the carnage from 
the withering fire of the enemy's combined artillery and 
musketry was dreadful. Our line wavered a moment, 
and fell back into the cover of the woods. Twice again 
the effort to carry the position was renewed, but each 
time with the same results. Night at length rendered a 
further attempt injudicious ; and the fight until ten 
o'clock was kept up by the artillery on both sides."* 

* Richmond Examiner of Friday, July 4th, 1862. The same jour- 
nal presents the following graphic picture of the ground which the 
Rebels had occupied during the progress of the engagement : 

"The battle-field, surveyed through the cold rain of Wednesday 
morning, presented scenes too shocking to be dwelt on without 
anguish. The woods and the field before mentioned were, on the 
western side, covered with our dead, in all the degrees of violent 
mutilation, while in the woods on the west of the field lay, in about 
equal numbers, the blue uniformed bodies of the enemy." 



452 A HISTORY or 

Thus ended tlie battle of Malvern Hill. Thus termi- 
nated the last assault made by the troops of the Eebel 
Confederacy at this period, upon the army of the Union 
in the Peninsula. Thus concluded one of the most 
extraordinary series of engagements which has ever 
occurred in the blood-stained annals of ancient or modern 
warfare. The losses endured on both sides were appall- 
ing ; and impartial history will hereafter affirm from her 
hio-h seat, thaC the Rebels had little of which to boast, in 
the incidents and results of the battles which were fought 
near their capital. It is unquestionably true, that the 
Federal forces would have been withdrawn to James river 
without these assaults having been made upon them. 
While therefore the Confederates inflicted superfluous 
wounds and death upon thern, they were themselves in 
turn punished and mulcted to a much more destructive 
and ruinous extent. The Federal losses in these various 
engascements were as follows: in the battle of Me- 
chanicsville, the number in killed and wounded was 
about one thousand ; in that of Gaines' Mill, three thou- 
sand; in that of Peach Orchard, five hundred; at 
Savage's Station, one thousand ; in White Oak Swamp, 
three thousand five hundred; at Goldiug's Farm, four 
hundred ; at Malvern Hill, two thousand ; making a 
grand total of eleven thousand four hundred. This 
estimate does not include the missing, whose exact 
numbers are unknown. It it probable that the losses of 
the Hebels were fully twice as great as those which had 
been inflicted on the Federal troops. 

During Tuesday night, and on Wednesday the 2d of 
July, the concentration and establishment of the Union 
forces at Harrison's Landing were completed. The 
enemy were too much broken and exhausted to continue 
the pursuit or to renew the assault. Their self-imposed 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 453 

task had been finished, with greater infliction of suffering 
and calamity on themselves than on their opponents. 
The new position which General McClellan had selected, 
consisted of a strip of land along the northern bank of 
the James river, five miles in length, where a number of 
suitable wharves existed, at which the transports could 
discharge their cargoes of supplies ; and whose external 
form toward the enemy was admirably adapted to the 
purpose of defense. It was soon made impregnable 
against all attacks by the skillful use of the spade ; for 
such formidable breastworks were quickly thrown up, as 
to convince the Eebels of the impolicy of any attempt to 
carry them by assault. On the 4th of July General 
McClellan issued an address to his troops, in which he 
bestowed upon them that praise for heroism and en- 
durance which they had richly merited ; and which will 
continue to be, until the end of time, the just reward of 
the brave and patriotic men, whose undying glory and 
misfortune it was to have belonged to the Federal army 
in the Peninsula. 

The repose of that army at Harrison's Landing re- 
mained undisturbed by the enemy during the period of 
nearly a month. It was not until the night of the 31st 
of July that their hostile presence and spirit were again 
exhibited. The Eebels had crossed the James river in 
considerable numbers, above the Federal camp; had 
posted several batteries opposite to the Landing, and in 
the vicinity of the Union fleet of transports ; and then 
began a vigorous cannonading, both upon the camp and 
the fleet. The assault continued during an hour and a 
half. Their guns threw shell of six and twelve pounds 
weight, both round and conical. They effected but little 
damage, inasmuch as they generally fell short of their 
mark. A few of them exploded within the Federal 



454 A HISTORY OF 

camp, and some of them reached the shipping. In con 
sequence of the fact that no attack was expected from 
the foe in that direction, all the Federal guns had been 
posted in the front ; so that a considerable interval 
elapsed before a sufficient number could be transferred 
to the proper position to respond to the enemy. In half 
an hour the latter commenced to reply, and in a sbort 
time the Rebels were silenced. They had made a futile 
assault ; for although they discharged several hundred 
shells, so inaccurate was their aim that the loss on the 
Union side was only six killed and nine wounded. 
During the attack the Rebels frequently changed the 
position of their batteries, and as the night was extremely 
dark, it was only by the flashes of the guns that their 
location could be discovered. The vessels on the James 
river did not return any shots, as by so doing they 
would have revealed their own location more distinctly 
to the enemy. 

This brief and unimportant episode was the mere pre- 
lude to the last military operation which was destined to 
take place between the Federal and Rebel armies in the 
Peninsula. The hideous carnival of blood and death 
which had rendered that spot so sadly famous in all 
coming time, was now about to terminate with the second 
battle at Malvern Hill. On Monday, the 4:th of August, 
a portion of the Federal army was ordered to make a 
reconnoissance in the direction of the Rebel lines. It 
consisted of the divisions commanded by Generals 
Hooker and Sedgwick, a brigade of cavalry under 
General Pleasanton, and four batteries. General Hooker 
was chief in command. Leaving the camp at four o'clock 
in the afternoon, they marched along the road to Charles 
City for some distance. They then diverged through 
several by-roads as far as Nelson's Farm. At that point 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 455 

tbey bivouacked for the night. Early on the following 
morning they resumed their march, and in an hour they 
reached the rear of Malvern Hill, upon which the enemy 
were posted. They thus occupied a position between 
the latter and the remainder of their army, as well as ■ 
their depot of supplies at Eichmond. An admirable 
opportunity was thus afforded to surround and capture a 
large portion of the Rebel force. 

Immediately after coming within view of the latter, 
the Federal troops were formed in line of battle. The 
artillery were posted in the front, the cavalry and 
infantry were ranged on the flanks. The Eebels com- 
menced the battle promptly at six o'clock with their 
guns. The Federal cannon responded with spirit. The 
enemy were much inferior in number to the Union 
troops ; comprising only three regiments of infantry, a 
small portion of cavalry, with four pieces of artillery. 
They maintained the contest during two hours with 
great determination; but the vast superiority of the 
Union troops in numbers rendered a further resistance 
on their part useless. They then retired in good order 
toward the James river. The Federal victors did not 
pursue. Their loss was only six killed and twenty-four 
wounded. The enemy took with thern all their guns, 
their killed and their wounded. This fight enabled 
General Hooker to take possession of Malvern Hill, 
which gave him a position six miles nearer to Eichmoud 
than that at Harrison's Landing. 

On Tuesday afternoon General McClellan, accompanied 
by a number of officers, visited the spot, and greatly 
commended General Hooker for his achievement. It 
was perfectly evident however, that though the small 
body of Rebel troops stationed there had been over- 
powered, large reinforcements would be quickly sent from 



456 A HISTORY OF 

Eichmond to recover the lost position. A general 
engagement would therefore soon occur, to decide the 
permanent possession of the place. Accordingly, Gene- 
ral McClellan immediately sent messengers to his camp, 
ordering a large number of his troops to march toward 
Malvern Hill, to support the column already posted 
there. If these troops had arrived in time, the issue of 
the subsequent operations might have been different. 
But the messengers who conveyed the order pursued the 
wrong road, were unaccountably delayed on their 
journey, and thus the reinforcements did not approach 
until the position had been hopelessly lost. Only a 
portion of those Federal troops which were sent ari'ived, 
and these made their appearance only in time to 
join in the general retreat. On Wednesday the Eebels 
marched to Malvern Hill in large masses, and as 
the Federal forces, by this manoeuver, would have 
been greatly inferior in numbers, a retrograde move- 
ment was precipitately made to Harrison's Landing. 
Thus ended the capture, the occupation, and the evacu- 
ation of the position at Malvern Hill. The Federal 
loss during the operation was four killed and fifteen 
wounded. 

It had now become evident to the Federal Govern- 
ment that the expedition against Eichmond, through the 
Peninsula, had proved a total and irremediable failure. 
It was quite as evident that the longer delay of the army 
of the Union in that unpropitious clime would be pro- 
ductive of no good, while it would entail a continued 
and lavish waste of the national treasure and of valuable 
lives. General McClellan therefore received orders to 
evacuate Harrison's Landing. This order was obeyed on 
the 16th and 17th of August, 1862. Through the energy 
and skill of Colonel Ingalls, all the stores of subsistence 



THE SOUTHERN REBELLION. 457 

and ammunition were safely removed on board the fleet 
of Federal transports which then lay at Harrison's Land- 
ing. Nothing of the least value was left behind. The 
Ecbel commanders, intensely gratified to witness the 
departure of their formidable visitors, did not offer any 
resistance to the movement. The army crossed the 
Chickahominy by a pontoon bridge two thousand feet in 
length, consisting of a hundred boats. The troops then 
marched forward toward Williamsburg, while the trans- 
ports and gunboats sailed down James river to Fortress 
Monroe. The future destination of the Army of the 
Peninsula was then as yet unknown. It was, however, 
intended to be consolidated with the forces which had 
been placed under the orders of General Pope. This 
arrangement was afterward completed ; and the fortunes 
of war were again tried under new auspices, against the 
desperate, yet by no means contemptible conspirators, 
who had risen in rebellion against their legitimate 
government, and had thus far struck, with such marvel- 
lous enei-gy, ferocity and skill, against its sacred bosom. 
Nor can the patriot and philanthropist fail to experience 
the most poignant emotions of regret, when reflecting 
upon the varied incidents and results of the campaign 
in the Peninsula: — when he remembers the brilliant 
hopes which threw so bright and fair a radiance around 
the advance of the Union army toward the Eebel 
capital ; when he recalls the many glorious prodigies of 
heroism and valor which were vainly performed by the 
soldiers and officers of that army, in the sanguinary 
battles which they fought; when he computes how 
many thousands of valiant and devoted men, from 
different and distant portions of the continent, were 
left behind by their departing comrades to moulder in 
their unknown and unhonored graves, the victims of a 



458 A HISTORY OF 

climate and of labors more deadly tliaii tlie bullets 
and cannon of the foe ; in a word, when he meditates 
upon the complete and melancholy discomfiture of one 
of the greatest and noblest enterprises which the check- 
ered page of history presents. 



APPENDIX. 



A STATEMENT OF THE CAUSES WHICH INDUCED THE SECESSION 
OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 

The people of the State of South Carolina in Convention 
assembled, on the 2d day of April, A.D. 1852, declared that 
the frequent violations of the Constitution of the United 
States by the Federal Government, and its encroachments 
upon the reserved rights of the States, fully justified this State 
in their withdrawal from the Federal Union ; but in deference 
to the opinions and wishes of the other Slaveholding States, 
she forbore at that time to exercise this right. Since that 
time these encroachments have continued to increase, and 
further forbearance ceases to be a virtue. 

And now the State of South Carolina having resumed her 
separate and equal place among nations, deems it due to 
herself, to the remaining United States of America, and to 
the nations of the world, that she should declare the immediate 
causes which have led to this act. 

In the year 1765, that portion of the British Empire em- 
bracing Great Britain undertook to make laws for the Govern- 
ment of that portion composed of the thirteen American 
Colonies. A struggle for the right of self-government ensued, 
which resulted, on the 4th of July, 1776, in a Declaration, by 
the Colonies, " that they are, and of right ought to be, free 
AND INDEPENDENT States ; and that, as free and independent 
States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, 
contract alliances, establish coraraerce, and to do all other acts 
and things which independent States may of right do." 

459 



460 APPENDIX. 

They further solemnly declared that whenever any " form 
of government becomes destructive of the ends for which it 
was established, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish 
it, and to institute a new government." Deeming the Govern- 
ment of Great Britain to have become destructive of these 
ends, they declared that the Colonies " are absolved from all 
allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connec- 
tion between them and the State of Great Britain is, and 
ought to be, totally dissolved." 

In pursuance of this Declaration of Independence, each of 
the thirteen States proceeded to exercise its separate sover- 
eignty ; adopted for itself a Constitution, and appointed 
officers for the administration of government in all its depart- 
ments — Legislative, Executive and Judicial. For purposes 
of defence they united their arms and their counsels ; and, in 
1778, they entered into a League known as the Articles of 
Confederation, whereby they agreed to intrust the administra- 
tion of their external relations to a common agent, known as 
the Congress of the United States, expressly declaring, in the 
first article, "that each State retains its sovereignty, freedom 
and independence, and every power, jurisdiction and right 
which is not, by this Confederation, expressly delegated to the 
United States in Congress assembled." 

Under this Confederation the War of the Revolution was 
carried on; and on the 3d of September, 1783, the contest 
ended, and a definite Treaty was signed by Great Britain, in 
which she acknowledged the Independence of the Colonies iu 
the following terms : 

" Article 1. His Britannic Majesty acknowledges the said 
United States, viz. : New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, 
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New 
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virgi- 
nia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to be free, 
SOVEREIGN, AND INDEPENDENT STATES ; that he treats with 
them as such ; and, for himself, his heirs and successors, re- 



APPENDIX. 461 

linquishes all claims to the government, property, and territo 
rial rights of the same and every part thereof." 

Thus were established the two great principles asserted by 
the Colonies, namely : the right of a State to govern itself, 
and the right of a people to abolish a Government when it 
becomes destructive of the ends for which it was instituted. 
And concurrent with the establishment of these principles, 
was the fact, that each Colony became and was recognized by 
the mother country as a free, sovereign and independent 
State. 

In 178*7, Deputies were appointed by the States to revise 
the articles of Confederation ; and on ITth September, 1V87, 
these Deputies recommended, for the adoption of the States, 
the Articles of Union, known as the Constitution of the United 
States. 

The parties to whom this Constitution was submitted were 
the several sovereign States ; they were to agree or disagree, 
and when nine of them agreed, the compact was to take effect 
among those concurring ; and the General Government, as the 
common agent, was then to be invested with their authority. 

If only nine of the thirteen States had concurred, the other 
four would have remained as they then were — separate, sover- 
eign States, independent of any of the provisions of the 
Constitution. In fact, two of tlie States did not accede to 
the Constitution until long after it had gone into operation 
among the other eleven ; and during that interval, they each 
exercised the functions of an independent jiation. 

By this Constitution, certain duties were imposed upon the 
several States, and the exercise of certain of their powers was 
restrained, which necessarily impelled their continued existence 
as sovereign States. But to remove all doubt, an amendment 
was added, which declared that the powers not delegated 
to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it 
to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to 
the people. On the 23d May, 1788, South Carolina, by a 
Convention of her people, passed an ordinance assenting to 



462 



APPENDIX. 



this Constitution, and afterwards altered her own Constitution 
to conform herself to the obligations she had undertaken. 

Thus was established, by compact between the States, a 
Government with defined objects and powers, limited to the 
express words of the grant. This limitation left the whole 
remaining mass of power subject to the clause reserving it to 
the States or the people, and rendered unnecessary any speci- 
fication of reserved rights. We hold that the Government 
thus established is subject to the two great principles asserted 
in the Declaration of Independence ; and we hold further, that 
the mode of its formation subjects it to a third fundamental 
principle, namely, the law of compact. We maintain that in 
every compact between two or more parties, the obligation is 
mutual ; that the failure of one of the contracting parties to 
perform a material part of the agreement, entirely releases the 
obligation of the other; and that, where no arbiter is pro- 
vided, each party is remitted to his own judgment to determine 
the fact of failure, with all its consequences. 

In the present case, that fact is established with certainty. 
We assert that fourteen of the States have deliberately refused 
for years past to fulfil their constitutional obligations, and we 
refer to their own statutes for the proof. 

The Constitution of the United States, in its fourth Article, 
provides as follows : 

" No person held to service or labor in one State under the 
laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of 
any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service 
or labor, but shall be delivered up, on claim of the party to 
whom such service or labor may be due." 

This stipulation was so material to the compact that with- 
out it that compact would not have been made. The greater 
number of the contracting parties held slaves, and they had 
previously evinced their estimate of value of such a stipula- 
tion by making it a condition in the Ordinance for the govern- 
ment of the territory ceded by Virginia, which obligations. 



r' 



APPENDIX. 



4:(j[ 



and the laws of the General Government, have ceased to effect 
the objects of the Constitution. The States of Maine, New 
Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rliode 
Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 
Wisconsin, and Iowa, have enacted laws which either nullify 
the acts of Congress, or render useless any attempt to execute 
them. In many of these States the fugitive is discharged 
from the service of labor claimed, and in none of them has the 
State Government complied with the stipulation made in the 
Constitution. The State of New Jersey, at an early day, 
passed a law in conformity with her constitutional obligation ; 
but the current of Anti-Slavery feeling has led her more 
recently to enact laws which render inoperative the remedies 
provided by her own laws and by the laws of Congress. In 
the State of New York even the right of transit for a slave 
has been denied by her tribunals ; and the States of Ohio and 
Iowa have refused to surrender to justice fugitives charged 
with murder, and with inciting servile insurrection in the State 
of Virginia. Thus the constitutional compact has been 
deliberately broken and disregarded by the non-slaveholding 
States ; and the consequence follows that South Carolina is 
released from her obligation. 

The ends for which this Constitution was framed are de- 
clared by itself to be "to form a more perfect union, to 
establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the 
common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the 
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity." 

These ends' it endeavored to accomplish by a Federal 
Government, in which each State was recognized as an equal, 
and had separate control over its own institutions. The right 
of property in slaves was recognized by giving to free persons 
distinct political rights ; by giving them the right to represent, 
and burdening them with direct taxes for, three-fifths of their 
slaves ; by authorizing the importation of slaves for twenty 
years ; and by stipulating for the rendition of fugitives from 
labor. 



461 APPEXUIX. 

"We affirm that these ends for which this Government was 
instituted have been defeated, and the Government itself has 
been destructive of them by the action of the non-slaveholding 
States. Those States have assumed the right of deciding 
upon the propriety of our domestic institutions ; and have 
denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the 
States and recognized by the Constitution ; they have 
denounced as sinful the institution of Slavery ; they have 
permitted the open establishment among them of societies, 
whose avowed object is to disturb the peace of and eloin the 
property of the citizens of other States. They have en- 
couraged and assisted thousands of our slaves to leave their 
homes ; and those who remain, have been incited by emissaries, 
books and pictures, to servile insurrection. 

For twenty-five years this agitation has been steadily in- 
creasing, until it has now secured to its aid the power of the 
common Government. Observing the/o?-m.s of the Constitu- 
tion, a sectional party has found within that article establish- 
ing the Executive Department, the means of subverting the 
Constitution itself, A geographical line has been drawn 
across the Union, and all the States north of that line have 
united in the election of a man to the high office of President 
of the United States whose opinions and purposes are hostile 
to Slavery. He is to be intrusted with the administration of 
the common Government, because he has declared that that 
" Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free," 
and that the public mind must rest in the belief that Slavery 
is in the course of ultimate extinction. 

This sectional combination for the subversion of the Con- 
stitution has been aided, in some of the States, by elevating 
to citizenship persons who, by the supreme law of the land, 
are incapable of becoming citizens ; and their votes have been 
used to inaugurate a new policy, hostile to the South, and 
destructive of its peace and safety. 

On the 4th of March next this party will take possession 
of the Government. It has announced that the South shall 



APPENDIX. 465 

be excluded from the common territory, that the Judicial 
tribunal shall be made sectional, and that a war must be 
waged against Slavery until it shall cease throughout the 
United States. 

The guarantees of the Constitution will then no longer 
exist ; the equal rights of the States will be lost. The Slave- 
holding States will no longer have the power of self-govern- 
ment, or self-protection, and the Federal Government will 
have become their enemy. 

Sectional interest and animosity will deepen the irritation ; 
and all hope of remedy is rendered vain, by the fact that the 
public opinion at the North has invested a great political 
error with the sanctions of a more erroneous religious belief 

We, therefore, the people of South Carolina, by our 
delegates in Convention assembled, appealing to the Supreme 
Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, have 
solemnly declared that the Uuiou heretofore existing between 
this State and the other States of North America is dissolved, 
and that the State of South Carolina has resumed lier position 
among the nations of the world, as a separate and independent 
State, with full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract 
alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and 
things which independent States may of right do. 



II. 

THE FINAL LETTER OP THE REBEL COMMISSIONERS TO SECRE- 
TARY SEWARD. 

Washington, April 9, 1861. 
Hon. yVm. IT. Seivard, Secretary of Slate of the United States, 
Washington. 

The " memorandum" dated Department of State, Washing- 
ton, March 15, 18G1, has been received through the hands of 
30 



4:QQ APPENDIX. 

Mr. J. T. Pickett, Secretary to this Commission, who, by the 
instructions of the undersigned, called for it on yesterday at 
the Department. 

In that memorandum you correctly state the purport of the 
oEScial note addressed to you by the undersigned on the 12th 
ult. Without repeating the contents of that note in full, it is 
enough to say here that its object was to invite the Govern- 
ment of the United States to a friendly consideration of the 
relation between the United States and the seven States lately 
of the Federal Union, but now separated from it by the 
sovereign will of their people, growing out of the pregnant and 
undeniable fact that those people have rejected the authority 
of the United States and established a Government of their 
own. Those relations had to be friendly or hostile. The 
people of the old and new Governments, occupying contigu- 
ous territories, had to stand to each other in the relation of 
good neighbors, each seeking their happiness and pursuing 
their national destinies in their own way, without interference 
with the other, or they had to be rival and hostile nations. 
The Government of the Confederate States had no hesitation 
in electing its choice in this alternative. Frankly and un- 
reserved, seeking the good of the people who had intrusted 
them with power, in the spirit of humanity, of the Christian 
^civilization of the age, and of that Americanism which regards 
the true welfare and happiness of the people, the Government 
of the Confederate States, among its first acts, commissioned 
the undersigned to approach the Government of the United 
States with the olive branch of peace, and to offer to adjust 
the great questions pending between them in the only way to 
l)e justified by the consciences and common sense of good men 
who had nothing but the welfare of the people of the two 
iConfederacies at heart. 

Your Government has not chosen to meet the undersigned 
in the conciliatory and peaceful spirit in which they are com- 
missioned. Persistently wedded to those fatal theories of 
construction of the Federal Constitution always rejected hj 



APPENDIX. 467 

the statesmen of the South, and adhered to by those of the 
Administration school, until they have produced their natural 
and often predicted result of the destruction of the Union, 
under which we might have continued to live happily and 
gloriously together, had the spirit of the ancestry who framed 
the common Constitution, animated the hearts of all their 
sons, you now, with a persistence untaught and uncured by 
the ruin which has been wrought, refuse to recognize the great 
fact presented to you of a complete and successful revolution ; 
you close your eyes to the existence of the Government 
founded upon it, and ignore the high duties of moderation 
and humanity which attach to you in dealing with this great 
fact. Had you met these issues with the frankness and manli- 
ness with which the undersigned were instructed to present 
them to you and treat them, the undersigned had not now the 
melancholy duty to return home and tell their Government 
and their countrymen, that their earnest and ceaseless efforts 
in behalf of peace had been futile, and that the Government 
of the United States meant to subjugate them by force of 
arms. Whatever may be the result, impartial history will" 
record the innocence of the Government of the Confederate 
States, and place the responsibility of the blood and mourning 
that may ensue upon those who have denied the great funda- 
mental doctrine of American liberty, that "governments 
derive their just powers from the consent of the governed," 
and who have set naval and land armaments^ in motion to 
subject the people of one portion of the land to the will of 
another portion. That that can never be done while a free- 
man survives in the Confederate States to wield a weapon, 
the undersigned appeal to past history to prove. These 
military demonstrations against the people of the seceded 
States are certainly far from being in keeping and consistency 
with the theory of the Secretary of State, maintained in his 
memorandum, that these States are still component parts of 
the late American Union, as the undersigned are not aware 
of any constitutional power in the President of the United 



468 APPENDIX. 

States to levy war without the consent of Congress, upon a 
foreign people, much less upon any portion of the people of 
the United States. 

The undersigned, like the Secretary of State, have no 
purpose to " invite or engage in discussion" of the subject 
on which their two Governments are so irreconcilably at 
variance. It is this variance that has broken up the old 
Union, the disintegration of which has only begun. It is 
proper, however, to advise you that it were well to dismiss the 
hopes you seem to entertain that, by any of the modes indi- 
cated, the people of the Confederate States will ever be 
Drought to submit to the authority of the G-overnment of the 
United States, You are dealing with delusions, too, when 
you seek to separate our people from our Government and to 
characterize the deliberate, sovereign act of the people as a 
" perversion of a temporary and partizan excitement." If you 
cherish these dreams you will be awakened from them and 
find them as unreal and unsubstantial as others in which you 
have recently indulged. The undersigned would omit the 
performance of an obvious duty were they to fail to make 
known to the Government of the United States that the people 
of the Confederate States have declared their independence 
with a full knowledge of all the responsibilities of that act, 
and with as firm a determination to maintain it by all the 
means with which nature has endowed them as that which 
sustained their fathers when they threw oif the authority of 
the British crown. 

The undersigned clearly understand that you have" declined 
to appoint a day to enable them to lay the objects of the 
mission with which they are charged, before the President of 
the United States, because so to do would be to recognize the 
independence and separate nationality of the Confederate 
States. This is the vein of thought that pervades the 
memorandum before us. The truth of history requires that it 
should distinctly appear upon the record that the undersigned 
did not ask the Government of the United States to recognize 



APPENDIX. 469 

the independence of the Confederate States. They only asked 
audience to adjust, in a spirit of amity and peace, the new- 
relations springing from a manifest and accomplished revolu- 
tion in the Government of the late Federal Union. Your 
refusal to entertain these overtures for a peaceful solution, the 
active naval and military preparation of this Government, and 
a formal notice to the commanding general of the Confederate 
forces in the harbor of Charleston, that the President intends 
to provision Fort Sumter by forcible means, if necessary, are 
viewed by the undersigned, and can only be received by the 
world, as a declaration of war against the Confederate States ; 
for the President of the United States knows that Fort Sumter 
cannot be provisioned without the effusion of blood. The 
undersigned, in behalf of their Government and people, 
accept the gage of battle tlius thrown down to them ; and 
appealing to God and the judgment of mankind for the 
righteousness of their cause, the people of the Confederate 
States will defend their liberties to the last against this 
flagrant and open attempt at their subjugation to sectional 
power. 

This communication cannot be properly closed without 
adverting to the date of your memorandum. The official note 
of the undersigned, of the 12lh March, was delivered to the 
Assistant Secretary of State on the 13th of that month, the 
gentleman who delivered it, informing him that the Secretary 
of this Commission would call at 12 o'clock, noon, on the next 
day, for an answer. At the appointed hour, Mr. Pickett did 
call, and was informed by the Assistant Secretary of State 
that the. engagements of the Secretary of State had prevented 
him from giving the note his attention. The Assistant 
Secretary of State then asked for the address of Messrs. 
Crawford and Forsyth, the members of the Commission then 
present in this city, took note of the address on a card, and 
engaged to send whatever reply miglit be made to their 
lodgings. Why this was not done it is proper should be here 
explained. The memorandum is dated March 15, and wa3 



470 APPENDIX. 

not delivered until April 8. "Why was it withheld during the 
intervening twenty-three days ? In the postscript to your 
memorandum you say it " was delayed, as was understood, 
with their (Messrs. Forsyth and Crawford's) consent." This 
IS true ; but it is also true that on the 15th of March Messrs. 
Forsyth and Crawford were assured by a person occupying a 
high official position in the Government, and who, as they 
believed, was speaking by authority, that Fort Sumter would be 
evacuated within a very few days, and that no measure changing 
the existing status prejudicially to the Confederate States, as 
respects Fort Pickens, was then contemplated, and these as- 
surances were subsequently repeated, with the addition that 
any contemplated change as respects Pickens, would be 
notified to us. On the 1st of April we were again informed 
that there might be an attempt to supply Fort Sumter with 
provisions, but that Gov. Pickens should have previous notice 
of this attempt. There was no suggestion of any reinforce- 
ments. The undersigned did not hesitate to believe that 
these assurances expressed the intentions of the Administration 
at the time, or at all events of prominent- members of that 
Administration. This delay was assented to, for the express 
purpose of attaining the great end of the mission of the under- 
signed, to wit : A pacific solution of existing complications. 
The inference deducible from the date of your memorandum, 
that the undersigned had, of their own volition and without 
cause, consented to this long hiatus in the grave duties with 
which they were charged, is therefore not consistent with a 
just exposition of the facts of the case. The intervening 
twenty-three days were employed in active unofficial efforts, 
the object of which was to smooth the path to a pacific solu- 
tion, the distinguished personage alluded to cooperating with 
the undersigned ; and every step of that efi'ort is recorded iu 
writing, and now in possession of the undersigned and of their 
Government. It was only when all these anxious efforts for 
peace had been exhausted, and it became clear that Mr. 
Lincoln had determined to appeal to the sword to reduce the 



APPEXDIX, 471 

people of the Confederate States to the will of the section ov 
party whose Presicleut he is, that the undersigned resumed t\\(i 
official negotiation temporarily suspended, and sent their 
Secretary for a reply to their official note of March 12. 

It is proper to add that, during these twenty-three days, 
two gentlemen of official distinction as high as that of the 
personage hitherto alluded to, aided the undersigned as inter- 
mediaries in these unofficial negotiations for peace. 

The undersigned, Commissioners of the Confederate States 
of America, having thus made answer to all they deem 
material in the memorandum filed in the Department on the 
15th of March last, have the honor to be, 

John Forsyth, 
Martin J. Crawford, 
A. B. Roman. 



III. 

THE CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR IN THE UNITED STATES, BY 
JOHN LOTHROP MOTLEY. 

The de facto question in America has been referred at last 
to the dread arbitrament of civil war. Time and events must 
determine whether the " great Republic" is to disappear from 
the roll of nations, or whether it is destined to survive the 
storm which has gathered over its head. There is, perhaps, 
a readiness in England to prejudge the case ; a disposition 
not to exult in our downfall, but to accept the fact; for 
nations as well as individuals, may often be addressed in the 
pathetic language of the poet : 

" Donee eris felix. multos immerabis amicos ; 
Tempora cum fuerint nubila, nullus erit." 

Yet the trial by the ordeal of battle has hardly commenced, 
and it would be presumptuous to affect to penetrate the veil 



472 APPENDIX. 

of even the immediate future. But the question dejure is a 
different one. The right and the wrong belong to the past, 
are hidden by no veil, and may easily be read by all who are 
not wilfully blind. Yet it is often asked why have the 
Americans taken up arms ? Why has the United States 
Government plunged into what is sometimes called " this wicked 
war ?" Especially it is thought amazing in England that the 
President should have recently called for a great army of 
volunteers and regulars, and that the inhabitants of the Free 
States should have sprung forward as one man at his call, 
like men suddenly relieved from a spell. It would have been 
amazing had the call been longer delayed. The national flag, 
insulted and defied for many months, had at last been lowered, 
after the most astonishing kind of siege recorded in histor}-, to 
an armed and organized rebellion ; and a prominent personage 
in the Government of the Southern Confederacy is reported 
to have proclaimed amid the exultations of victory that before 
the 1st of May the same cherished emblem of our nationality 
should be struck from the capitol at Washington. An 
advance of the " Confederate troops" upon that city ; the 
flight or captivity of the President and his Cabinet ; the 
seizure of the national archives, the national title deeds, and 
the whole national machinery of foreign intercourse and 
internal administration, by the Confederates ; and the pro- 
clamation from the American palladium itself of the Mont- 
gomery Constitution in place of the one devised by Washing- 
ton, Madison, Hamilton, and Jay — a constitution in which 
slavery should be the universal law of the land, the corner- 
stone of the political edifice — were events which seemed for a 
few days of intense anxiety almost probable. 

Had this really been the result, without a blow struck in 
defence of the national Government and the old Constitution, 
it is certain that the contumely poured forth upon the Free 
States by their domestic enemies, and by the world at large, 
would have been as richly deserved as it would have been 
amply bestowed. At present such a catastrophe seems to 



APPENDIX. 473 

have been averted. But the levy in mass of such a vast 
number of armed men in tlie Free States, in swift response to 
the call of the President, shows how deep and pervading is 
the attachment to the Constitution and to the flag of Union 
in the hearts of the 19,000,000 who inhabit those States. It is 
confidently believed, too, that the sentiment is not wholly ex- 
tinguished in the 9,000,000 white men who dwell in the Slave 
States, and that, on the contrary, there exists a large party 
throughout that country who believe that the Union furnishes 
a better protection for life, property, law, civilization, and 
liberty, than even the indefinite extension of African slavery 
can do. 

At any rate, the loyalty of the Free States has proved more 
intense and passionate than it had ever been supposed to be 
before. It is recognized throughout their whole people that 
the Constitution of 1787 had made us a nation. The 
efforts of a certain class of politicians for a long period had 
been to reduce our Commonwealth to a Confederacy. So 
long as their efforts had been confined to argnment, it was 
considered sufficient to answer the argument ; but, now that 
secession, instead of remaining a topic of vehement and subtle 
discussion, has expanded into armed and fierce rebellion and 
revolution, civil war is the inevitable result. It is the result 
foretold by sagacious statesmen almost a generation ago, in 
the days of the tariff " nullification." " To begin with nullifi- 
cation," said Daniel Webster in 1833, "with the avowed 
intention, nevertheless, not to proceed t« secession, dismember- 
ment, and general revolution, is as if one were to take the 
plunge of Niagara, and cry out that he would stop half way 
down." And now the plunge of secession has been taken, 
and we are all struggling in the vortex of general revolution. 

The body politic, known for seventy years as the United 
States of America, is not a Confederacy, not a compact of 
sovereign States, not a copartnership ; it is a Commomvealth, 
of which the Constitution drawn up at Philadelphia by the 
Convention of 1787, over which Washington presided, is the 



474 APPENDIX. 

organic, funclaraental law. We had already had enough of a 
confederacy. The thirteen rebel provinces, afterward the 
thirteen original independent States of America, had been 
united to each otlier during the revolutionary war by articles 
of confederacy, 'T/ie said States hereby enter into a firm 
league of friendship with each other. ''^ Such was the language 
of 1781, and the league or treaty thus drawn up was ratified, 
not by the people of the States, but by the State Govern- 
ments, — the legislative and executive bodies namely, in their 
corporate capacity. 

The continental Congress, which was the central adminis- 
trative board during this epoch, was a diet of envoys from 
sovereign States. It had no power lo acton individuals. It 
could not command the States. It could move only by 
requisitions and recommendations. Its functions were essen- 
tially diplomatic, like those of the States-General of the old 
Dutch Republic, like those of the modern Germanic Con- 
federation. 

We were a league of petty sovereignties. When the war 
had ceased, when our independence had been acknowledged 
in 1783, we sank rapidly into a condition of utter impotence, 
imbecility, anarchy. We had achieved our independence, but 
we had not constructed a nation. We were not a body 
politic. No laws could be enforced, no insurrections sup- 
pressed, no debts collected. Neither property nor life was 
secure. Great Britain had made a treaty of i)eace with us, 
but she scornfully declined a treaty of commerce and amity ; 
not because we had been rebels, but because we were not a 
State — because we were a mere dissolving league of jarring 
provinces, incapable of guaranteeing the stipulations of any 
commercial treaty. We were unable even to fulfil the condi- 
tions of the treaty of peace and enforce the stipulated collec- 
tion of debts due to British subjects ; and Great Britain 
refused in consequence to give up the military posts which she 
held within our frontiers. For twelve years after the ac- 
kuowledgement.of our independence we were mortified by the 



APPENDIX. 475 

spectacle of foreign soldiers occupying a long chain of fort- 
resses south of the great lakes and upon our own soil. We 
were a confederacy. We were sovereign States. And tliese 
were the fruits of such a confederacy and of such sovereignty. 
It was, until the immediate present, the darkest hour of our 
history. But there were patriotic and sagacious men in those 
days, and their efforts at last rescued us from the condition of 
a confederacy. The " Constitution of the United States" was 
an organic law, enacted by the sovereign people of that whole 
territory which is commonly called in geographies and 
histories, the United States of America. It was empowered 
to act directly, by its own legislative, judicial and executive 
machinery, upon every individual in the country. It could 
seize his property, it could take his life, for causes of which 
itself was the judge. The States were distinctly prohibited 
from opposing its decrees or from exercising any of the great 
functions of sovereignty. The Union alone was supreme, 
" any thing in the constitution and laws of the States to the 
contrary notwithstanding." Of what significance, then, was 
the title of "sovereign" States, arrogated in later days by 
communites which had voluntarily abdicated the most vital 
attributes of sovereignty? But, indeed, the words "sovereign" 
and " sovereignty" are purely inapplicable to the American 
system. In the Declaration of Independence the provinces 
declare themselves " free and independent States," but the men 
of those days knew that the word "sovereign" was a term of 
feudal origin. When their connection ji'ith a tinie-hojiored 
feudal monarchy was abruptly severed, the word ''sovereign" 
had no meaning for us. A sovereign is one who acknowledges 
no superior, who possesses the highest authority without 
control, who is supreme in power. IIovv could any one State 
of tlie United States claim such characteristics at all, least of 
all after its inhabitants, in their primary assemblies, had voted 
to submit themselves, without limitation of time, to a consti- 
tution which was declared supreme ? The only iutelligilile 
source of power in a country beginning its history de novo 



476 APPENDIX. 

after a revolution, in a land never subjected to military or 
feudal conquest, is the will of the people of the whole land as 
expressed by a majority. At the present moment, unless the 
Southern revolution shall prove successful, the United States 
Government is a fact, an established authority. In the period 
between 1783 and 178Y we were in chaos. In May of 1787 
the convention met in Philadelphia, and, after some months' 
deliberation, adopted, with unprecedented unanimity, the 
])r<>ject of the great law, which, so soon as it should be 
accepted by the people, was to be known as the Constitution 
of the United States. 

It was not a compact. Who ever heard of a compact to 
which there were no parties ? or who ever heard of a compact 
made by a single party with himself? Yet the name of no 
State is mentioned in the whole document; the States tliem- 
selves are only mentioned to receive commands or prohibi- 
tions, and the " people of the United States" is the single 
party by whom alone the instrument is executed. 

The Constitution was not drawn up by the States, it was 
not promulgated in the name of the States, it was not ratified 
by the States. The States never acceded to it, and possess 
no power to secede from it. It "^was ordained and es- 
tablished" over the States by a power superior to the States — 
by the people of the whole land in their aggregate capacity, 
acting through conventions of delegates expressly chosen for 
the purpose within each State, independently of the State 
Govoi-nments, after the project had been framed. 

There had always been two parties in the country during 
the brief but pregnant period between the abjuration of British 
authority and the adoption of the Constitution of 1787. 
Tliere was a party advocating State rights and local self- 
government in its largest sense, and a party favoring a more 
consolidated and national government. The National or 
Federal party triumphed in the adoption of the new govern- 
ment. It was strenuously supported and bitterly opposed on 
exactly the same grounds. Its friends and foes both agreed 



APPEXDIX, 477 

that it had put an end to the system of confederacy. Whether 
it were an advantageous or a noxious change, all agreed that 
the thing had been done. 

" In all our deliberations (says the letter accompanying and 
recommending the Constitution to the people) we kept steadily 
in view that which appeared to us the greatest interest of 
every true American, the conwlidalion of our Union, in 
which is involved our prosperity, safety, perhaps our national 
existence.'''' — Journal of the Convention, 1 Story, 368. 

And an eloquent opponent denounced the project for this 
very same reason : 

" That this is a consolidated Government (said Henry), is 
demonstrably clear. The language is ' we, the people,' instead 
of ' we, the States.' It must be one great, consolidated 
national Government of the people of all the States." 

And the Supreme Court of the United States, after the 
Government had been established, held this language in an 
important case, " Gibbons v. Ogden :" 

" It has been said that tlie States were sovereign, were 
completely independent, and were connected with each other 
by a league. This is true. But when these allied sovereign- 
ties converted their league into a Government, when they 
converted their Congress of AniI)assadors into a Legislature, 
empowered to enact laws, the whole character in which the 
States appear underwent a change." 

There was never a disposition in any quarter, in the early 
days of our constitutional history, to deny this great funda- 
mental principle of the Republic. 

" In the most elaborate expo.siiions of the Constitution by 
its friends (says Justice Story), its character as a permanent 
forvi of government, as a fundamental law, as a supreme rule, 
which no State was at liberty to disregard, to suspend, or to 
annul, was constantly admitted and insisted upon." — 1 Story, 
325. 

The fears of its opponents, then, were that'the new system 
would lead to a too strong, to an over-centralized Government. 



478 APPENDIX. 

The fears of its friends were that the central power of theory 
wonld prove inefficient to cope with the local or State forces, 
in practice. The experience of the last thirty years, and tlic 
catastrophe of the present year, have shown which class of 
fears were the more reasonable. 

Had the Union thus established in 1787 been a confederacy, 
it might have been argued, with more or less plausibility, that 
the States which peaceably acceded to it might at pleasure 
peaceably secede from it. It is none the less true that such a 
proceeding woukl have stamped the members of the conven- 
tion — Washington, Madison, Jay, • Hamilton, and their col- 
leagues — with utter incompetence ; for nothing can be histori- 
cally more certain than that their object was to extricate us 
from the anarchy to which that principle had brought us. 

" However gross a heresy it may be (says the Federalist, 
recommending the new Constitution) to maintain that a party 
to a compact has a right to revoke that compact, the doctrine 
has had respectable advocates. The possibility of such a 
question shows the necessity of laying the foundation of our 
national Government deeper than in the mere sanction of 
delegated authority. The fabric of American empire ought 
to rest on the solid basis of the consent of the people." 

Certainly, the most venerated expounders of the Constitu- 
tion — Jay, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, Story, "Webster — were 
of opinion that the intention of the convention to establish a 
permanent, consolidated Government, a single commonwealth, 
had been completely successful. 

" The great and fundamental defect of the Confederation of 
1781, (says Chancellor Kent,) which led to its eventual over- 
throw, was that, in imitation of all former confederacies, it 
carried the decrees of the Federal Council to the States in 
cheir sovereign capacity. The great and incurable defect of 
all former Federal Governments, such as the Amphictyonic, 
Achcean, and Lycian Confederacies, and the Germanic, Hel- 
vetic, Hanseatic, and Dutch Republics, is that they were ^oue?'- 
eignties over sovereignties. The first effort to relieve the 



APPENDIX, 479 

people of the country from this state of national degradation 
and ruin came from Virginia. The general convention after- 
wards met at Philadelphia in May, 1787. The plan was 
submitted to a convention of delegates chosen by the people 
at large in each State for assent and ratification. Such a 
measure was laying the foundations of the fabric of our 
national polity where alone they ought to be laid, — on the 
broad consent of the people." — 1 Kent, 225. 

It is true that the consent of the people was given by the 
inhabitants voting in each State ; but in what other conceiva- 
ble way could the people of the whole country have voted ? 

"They assembled in the several States," says Story; "but 
where else could they assemble ?" 

Secession is, in brief, the return to chaos from which we 
emerged three-quarters of a century since. 'No logical 
sequence can be more perfect. If one State has a right to 
secede to-day, asserting what it calls its sovereignty, another 
may, and probably will, do the same- to-morrow, a third on the 
next day, and so on, until there are none left to secede from. 
Granted the premises that each State may peaceably secede 
from the Union, it follows that a county may peaceably secede 
from a State, and a town from a county, until there is nothing 
left but a horde of individuals all seceding from each other. 
The theory that the people of a whole country in their aggre- 
gate capacity are supreme, is intelligible ; and it has been a 
fact, also, in America for seventy years. But it is impossible 
to show, if the people of a State be sovereign, that the people 
of a county, or of a village, and the individuals of the village, 
are not equally sovereign, and justified in "resuming their 
sovereignty" when their interests or their caprice seems to 
impel them. The process of disintegration brings back the 
community to barbarism, precisely as its converse has built up 
commonwealths — whether empires, kingdoms, or republics — 
out of original barbarism. Established authority, whatever 
the theory of its origin, is a fact. It should never be lightly 
or capriciously overturned. They who venture on the attempt 



•ISO APrENPIX. 

should weigh well the responsihility tluit is upon tlioin. Above 
all they must expect to be arraigned for their deeds before the 
tribunal of the civilized world and of future nges — a court of 
last appeal, the code of which is based on the Divine princi- 
ples of right and reason, which are dispassionate and eternal. 
No man, on either side of the Atlantic with Anglo-Saxon 
l)lood in his veins, will dispute the right of a people, or of any 
jiortion of a people to rise against oppression, to denuind 
redress of grievances, and in case of denial of justice to take 
np arms to vindii'ate" the sacred principle of liberty. Few 
Knglishmen or Americans will ileny that the source of govern- 
ment is the consent of the governed, or that every nation has 
tlie right to govern itself accoriling to its will. When the 
silent consent is changed to Jirnr renionslrance, the revolution 
is impending. The right of revolution is indisputable, li is 
written on the whole record of our race. British and Ameri- 
can history is made up of rebellion and revolution. Many of 
the crowned kings were rebels or usurpers; Hampden, Pym, 
and Oliver Cromwell; Washington, Adams, and Jeflerson, all 
were rebels. It is no word of reproach ; but these men all 
knew the work they had set themselves to do. They never 
called their rebellion "peaceable secession." They were 
sustained by the consciousness of right when they overthrew 
estal)lished authority, but they meant to overthrow it. They 
meant rebellion, civil war, bloodshed, infinite suffering for 
themselves and their whole generation, for they accounted 
them welcome substitutes for insulted liberty and violated 
right. There can be nothing plainer, then, than the American 
right of revolution. But then it should be called revolution. 
" Secession, as a revolutionary right," said Daniel Webster in 
the Senate nearly thirty years ago, in words that now sound 
l)rophetic : 

" Is intelligible. As a right to be proclaimed in the midsf 
of civil commotions, and assc7'tcd at the head of armies, I 
can understand it. But as a practical right, existing under 
the Constitution, and in conformity with its provisions, it 



APl'ENDIX. 481 

seems lo l)c iHjlIiiiii^- I)ut nn uljsunlity, for it supposes resist- 
ance to (Icjvoriiiiioiit iiiidcr authority of (jovermnent itself; it 
supposes disiiH^iiihci-meiit without violating the iirineiples of 
Union; it supposes op])()siti<jn lo law witliout crime; it 
su[)i)0ses the violation of oaths without responsibility ; it suj)- 
poscs the t(jtal overthrow (jf (jlovernruent witliout revolution." 

The men who hnd (•()n(lu<it'(l llu; American people through a 
long and fcsarful r(!Voluli4)n, were the foiindcrsof the new common- 
wealth wiiieli permanently superseded tlu; subverted a\itliority of 
the Crown. Tiiey plac(Ml llie foundations on the unbiassed, un- 
trammelled consent of the ))eoi)le. They were sick of Iciigues, 
of }>etty sovereignties, of (jiovernments which could not govern 
a single imlividmi,]. Tin; framers of the Constitution, which 
has now endured three-(piarters of a century, and under which 
the nation has made a material and intellectual progress never 
surpassed in history, were not such triflers as to be ignorant 
of the consequences of their own acts. The Constitution 
which they oifered and which the people adopted as its own, 
talked not of .Sovereign States — spoke not the word con- 
federacy. In the very preamble to the instrument are in- 
serted the vital words which show its character: 'AVe, ///'? 
people of the Fnited States, to ensure a more perfect union, 
and to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our 
posterity, do ordam and ei^lahhsh thin Constiddion." Sic 
volo, sicjubeo. It is the language of a Sovereign solemidy 
speaking to the world. It is the promulgation of a great 
law, the norma aijcndi of a new commonwealth. It is no 
compact, 

"A compact (says Blackstoue) is a promise proceeding 
from us. Law is a command directed to us. The language 
of a compact is, ' We will or will not do this ; that of a law 
is, Thou Shalt or shalt not do it.' "—(1 B. 38, 44, 45.) 

And this is throughout the language of the Constitution. 

Congress shall do tlds ; the President shall do that ; the States 

shall not exercise this or that power. Witness, for examj.le, 

the important clauses by wliich the " Sovereign" States are 

31 



482 APPENDIX. 

shorn of all the great attributes of sovereignty : — no State 
shall coin money, nor emit bills of credit, nor pass ex post facto 
laws, nor laws impairing the obligations of contracts, nor 
maintain armies and navies, nor grant letters of marque, nor 
make compacts with other States, nor hold intercourse with 
foreign Powers, nor grant titles of nobility ; and that most 
significant phrase, " this Constitution, and the laws made in 
pursuance thereof, shall be the supreme law of the land." 

Could language be more impartial ? Could the claim to 
State " sovereignty" be more completely disposed of at a 
word? How can that be sovereign, acknowledging no 
superior, supreme, which has voluntarily accepted a supreme 
law from something which it acknowledges as superior ? 

The Constitution is perpetual, not provisional or temporary. 
It is made for all time — "for ourselves and our posterity." 
It is absolute within its sphere. " This Constitution shall be 
the supreme law of the land, any thing in the Constitution or 
laws of a State to the contrary notwithstanding." Of what 
value, then, is a law of a State declaring its connection with 
the Union dissolved ? The Constitution remains supreme, 
and is bound to assert its supremacy till overpowered by force. 
The use of force — of armies and navies of whatever strength — 
•in order to compel obedience to the civil and constitutional 
authority, is not "wicked war," is not civil war, is not war at 
:all. So long as it exists, the Government is obliged to put 
forth its strength when assailed. The President, who has 
taken an oath before God and man to maintain the Constitu- 
tion and laws, is perjured if he yields the Constitution and 
laws to armed rebellion without a struggle. He knows 
nothing of .States. Within the sphere of the United States 
Government he deals with individuals only, citizens of the 
the great Kepublic in whatever portion of it they may happen 
to live. He has no choice but to enforce the laws of the 
Republic wherever they may be resisted. When he is over- 
powered the Government ceases to exist. The Union is gone, 
and Massachusetts, Ehode Island, and Ohio are as much 



APPENDIX, 483 

separated from each other as they are from Georgia or Loui- 
siana. Anarchy has returned upon us. The dismemberment 
of the Commonwealth is complete. We are again in the 
chaos of 1785. 

But it is sometimes asked why the Constitution did not 
make a special provision against the right of secession. How 
could it do so ? The people created a Constitution over the 
whole land, with certain defined, accurately enumerated powers, 
and among these were all the chief attributes of sovereignty. 
It was forbidden to a State to coin money, to keep armies and 
navies, to make compacts with other States, to hold inter- 
course with foreign nations, to oppose the authority of 
Government. To do any of these things is to secede, for it 
would be physically impossible to do any one of them without 
secession. It would have been puerile for the Constitution to 
say formally to each State, "Thou shalt not secede." The 
Constitution being the supreme law, being perpetual, and 
having expressly forbidden to the States those acts without 
which secession is an impossibility, would have been wanting 
in dignity had it used such superfluous phraseology. This 
Constitution is supreme, whatever laws a State may enact, 
pays the organic law. Was it necessary to add, "and no 
State shall enact a law of secession ?" To add to a great 
statute, in which the sovereign authority of the land declares 
its will, a phrase such as " and be it further enacted that the 
said law shall not be violated," would scarcely seem to 
strengthen the statute. 

It was accordingly enacted that new States might be 
admitted ; but no permission was given for a State to secede. 

Provisions were made for the amendment of the Constitu- 
tion from time to time, and it was intended that those provi- 
sions should be stringent. A two-thirds vote in both Houses 
of Congress, and a ratiGcation in three-quarters of the whole 
number of States, are conditions only to be complied with in 
grave emergencies. But the Constitution made no provision 
for its own dissolution, and, if it had done so, it would have 



484 appe:sidix. 

been a proceeding quite witliout example in history. A Con- 
stitution can only be subverted by revolution, or by foreign 
conquest of the land. The revolution may be the result of a 
successful rebellion. A peaceful revolution is also conceivable 
in the case of the United States. The same power which 
established the Constitution, may justly destroy it. The 
people of the whole land may meet, by delegates, in a great 
national convention, as they did in 1787, and declare that the 
Constitution no longer answers the purpose for which it was 
ordained ; that it no longer can secure the blessings of liberty 
for the people in present and future generations, and that it 
is therefore forever abolished. "When that project has been 
submitted again to the people voting in their primary assem- 
blies, not influenced by fraud or force, the revolution is law- 
fully accomplished, and the Union is no more. 

Such a proceeding is conceivable, although attended with 
iimumerable difficulties and dangers. But these are not so 
great as those of the civil war into which the action of the 
seceding States has plunged the country. The division of the 
national domain and other property, the navigation and police 
of the great rivers, the arrangement and fortifications of 
frontiers, the transit of the Isthmus, the mouth of the Missis- 
sippi, the control of the Gulf of Mexico, these are significant 
phrases which have an appalling sound ; for there is not one 
of them that does not contain the seeds of war. In any 
separation, however accomplished, these difficulties must be 
dealt with, but there would seem less hope of arriving at a 
peaceful settlement of them now that the action of the seceding 
States has been so precipitate and lawless. For a single 
State, one after another, to resume those functions of sover- 
eignty which it had unconditionally abdicated when its people 
ratified the Constitution of 1787, to seize forts, arsenals, 
customhouses, post-offices, mints, and other valuable property 
of the Union, paid for by the treasure of the Union, was not 
the exercise of a legal function, but it w^^s rebellion, treason, 
and plunder. 



APPENDIX. 485 

It is strange that Englishmen should find difficulty in un- 
derstanding that the United States Government is a nation 
among the nations of the earth ; a constituted authority, 
which may be overthrown by violence, as may be the fate of 
any State whether kingdom or republic, but which is false to 
the people if it does not its best to preserve them from the 
horrors of anarchy, even at the cost of blood. The " United 
States" happens to be a plural title, but the commonwealth 
thus designated is a unit, — " e pluribiis unum." The Union 
alone is clothed with imperial attributes; the Union alone is 
known and recognized in the family of nations ; the Union 
alone holds the purse and the sword, regulates foreign inter- 
course, imposes taxes on foreign commerce, makes war and 
concludes peace. The armies, the navies, the militia, belong 
to the Union alone, and the President is Commander-in-Chief 
of all. Xo State can keep troops or fleets. What man in 
the civilized world has not heard of the United States ? 
What man in England can tell the names of all the individual 
States? And yet, with hardly a superficial examination of 
our history and our Constitution, men talk glibly aI)out a 
confederacy, a compact, a co-partnership, and tlie right of a 
State to secede at y^leasure, not knowing that, by admitting 
such loose phraseology and such imaginary rights, we should 
violate the first principles of our i)olitical organization, shoidd 
fly in the face of our history, should trample under foot the 
teachings of Jay, Hamilton, Washington, ^Marshall, Madison, 
Dane, Kent, Story, and Webster, and, accepting only the 
dogmas of Mr. Calhoun as infallible, surrender forever our 
national laws and our national existence. 

Englishmen themselves live in a united empire ; but if the 
kingdom of Scotland should secede, should seize all the 
national property, forts, arsenals, and public treasure on its 
soil, organize an army, send forth foreign Ministers to Louis 
Xapoleon, the Emperor of Austria, and other powers, issue 
invitations to all the pirates of the world to prey upon English 
commerce, screening their piracy from punishment by the 



486 APPENDIX. 

banner of Scotland, and should announce its intention of plant- 
ing that flag upon Buckingham Palace, it is probable that a 
blow or two would be struck to defend the national honor and 
the national existence, without fear that the civil war would 
be denounced as wicked and fratricidal. Yet it would be 
difficult to show that the State of Florida, for example, a 
Spanish province, purchased for national purposes some forty 
years ago by the United States Government for several 
millions, and fortiGed and furnished with navy yards for 
national uses, at a national expense of many more millions, 
and numbering at this moment a population of only 80,000 
while men, should be more entitled to resume its original 
sovereignty than the ancient kingdom of William the Lion and 
Robert Bruce. 

The terms of the treaty between England and Scotland 
were perpetual, and so is the Constitution of the United 
States. The United Empire may be destroyed by revolution 
and war, and so may the United States ; but a peaceful and 
legal dismemberment without the consent of a majority of the 
whole people, is an impossibility. 

But it is sometimes said that the American Republic origi- 
nated in secession from the mother country, and that it is 
unreasonable of the Union to resist the seceding movement on 
the part of the new confederacy. But it so happens that the 
one case suggests the other only by the association of contrast. 
The thirteen colonies did not intend to secede from the British 
empire. They were forced into secession by a course of policy 
on the part of the mother country such as no English adminis- 
tration at the present day can be imagined capable of adopt- 
ing. Those Englishmen in America were loyal to the Crown ; 
but they exercised the right which cis-Atlantic or transatlantic 
Englishmen have always exercised, of resistance to arbitrary 
government. Taxed without being represented, and insulted 
by measures taken to enforce the odious, but not exorbitant 
imposts, they did not secede, nor declare their independence. 
On the contrary they made every effort to avert such a conclu- 



APPENDIX, 487 

sion. In the words of the "forest-born Demosthenes" — as 
Lord Byron called the great Virginian, Patrick Henry— the 
Americans " petitioned, remonstrated, cast themselves at the 
foot of the throne, and implored its interposition to arrest the 
tyrannical hands of the Ministers and Parliament. But their 
petitions were slighted, their remonstrances procured only 
additional violence and insult, and they were spurned with 
contempt from the foot of the throne." 

The "Boston Massacre," the Boston port-bill, the Boston 
"tea-party," the battle of Lexington, the battle of Bunker's 
Hill, were events which long preceded the famous Declaration 
of Independence. It was not till the colonists felt that redress 
for grievances was impossible that they took the irrevocable 
step, and renounced their allegiance to the crown. The revo- 
lution had come at last, they had been forced into it, but tliey 
knew that it was revolution, and that they were acting at the 
peril of iheir lives. " We must be unanimous in this business," 
said Hancock : "we must all hang together." "Yes," replied 
Franklin, " or else we shall all hang separately." 

The risk incurred by the colonists was enormous, but the 
injury to the mother country was comparatively slight. 
They went out into darkness and danger themselves, but 
the British empire was not thrown into anarchy and chaos 
by their secession. 

Thus their course was the reverse of that adopted by the 
South. The prompt secession of seven States because of the 
constitutional election of a President over the candidates voted 
for by their people, was the redress in advance of grievances 
which they may reasonably or unreasonably, have expected, 
but which had not yet occurred. There is the high authority 
of the Vice-President of the Southern " Confederacy," wh) 
declared a week after the election of Mr. Lincoln that the 
election was not a cause for secession, and that there wns 
no certainty that he would have either the power or the in- 
clination to invade the constitutional rights of the South. In 
the Free States it w:is held that the resolutions of the conven- 



488 



APPENDIX. 



tion by which Mr. Lincoln was nominated were scrnpulously 
and conscientiously framed to protect all those constitutional 
rights. The question of slavery in the Territories, of the 
future extension of slavery, was one which had always been an 
open question and on which issue was now joined. But it 
was no question at all that slavery within a State was sacred 
from all interference by the General Government, or by the 
free States, or by individuals in those States ; and the Chicago 
Convention strenuously asserted that doctrine. 

The question of free trade, which is thrust before the 
English public by many journals, had no immediate connection 
with the secession, although doubtless the desire of direct 
trade with Europe has long been a prominent motive at the 
South. The Gulf States seceded under the moderate tarifl" of 
185T, for which South Carolina voted side by side with Mas- 
sachusetts. The latter State, although for political not 
economical reasons, it thought itself obliged since the secession 
to sustain the Pennsylvania interest by voting for the absurd 
Morrill Bill, is not in favor of protection. On the contrary, 
the great manufactories on. the Merrimac river have long been 
independent of protection, and export many million dollars' 
worth of cotton and other fabrics to foreign countries, under- 
selling or competing with all the world in open market. It 
would be impossible for any European nation to drive the 
American manufacturer from the markets of the American 
continent in the principal articles of cheap clothing for the 
masses, tariff or no tariff. This is a statistical fact which 
cannot be impugned. 

The secession of the colonies, after years of oppression and 
grievances for which redress had been sought in vain, left the 
British empire, 3,000 miles off, in security, with Constitution 
and laws unimpaired, even if its colonial territory were seri- 
ously diminished. The secession of tlie Southern States, in 
contempt of any other remedy for expected grievances, is 
followed by the destruction of the whole body politic of which 
they were vital parts. 



APPENDIX. 489 

Xot only is the IJuited Republic destroyed if the revolution 
prove successful ; but, even if the people of the Free States 
have the enthusiasm and sagrcity to reconstruct their Union, 
and by a new national convention to re-ordain and re-establish 
the time-honored Constitution, still an immense territory is 
lost. But the extent of that territory is not the principal 
element in the disaster. The world is wide enough for all. 
It is the loss of the southern marine frontier which is fatal to 
the llepublic. Florida and the vast Louisiana territory 
purchased by the Union from foreign countries, and garnished 
with fortresses at the expense of the Union, are fallen with 
all these improvements into the hands of a foreign and un- 
friendly Power. Should the dire misfortune of a war with a 
great maritime nation, with England or France for example, 
befall the Union, its territory, hitherto almost impregnable, 
might now be open to fleets and armies acting in alliance witli 
a hostile "Confederacy," which has become possessed of an 
important part of the Union's maritime line of defence, 
^loreover, the Union has 12,000 ships, numbering more than 
5,000,000 tons, the far greater part of which belongs to the 
Free States, and the vast commerce of the Mississippi and the 
Gulf of Mexico requires and must receive protection at every 
hazard. 

Is it strange that the Union should make a vigorons, just, 
and lawful effort to save itself from the chaos from which the 
Constitution of 1787 rescued the country? Who that has 
read and pondered the history of that dark period does not 
sliudder at the prospect of its return ? But yesterday we 
were a State — the Great .Republic — prosperous and powerful, 
with a flag known and honored all over the world. Seventy 
years ago we were a helpless league of bankrupt and lawless 
petty sovereignties. We had a currency so degraded that a 
leg of mutton was cheap at $1,000. The national del»t, 
incurred in the War of Independence, had hardly a nominal 
value, and was considered worthless. Tiie ab.sence of law, 
order, and security for life and property was as absolute as 



490 APPENDIX. 

could be well conceived iu a civilized land. Debts could not 
be collected, courts could enforce no decrees, insurrections 
could not be suppressed. The army of the Confederacy 
numbered eighty men. From this condition the Constitution 
rescued us. 

That great law, reported by the general Convention of lYST, 
was ratified by the people of all the land voting in each State 
for a ratifying convention chosen expressly for that purpose. 
It was promulgated in the name of the people : " We, the 
people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect 
Union, and to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and 
our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution." It 
was ratified by tlie people — not by the States acting through 
their governments, legislative and executive, but by the people 
electing especial delegates within each State ; and it is im- 
portant to remember that in none of these ratifying conven- 
tions was any reserve made of a State's right to repeal the 
Union, or to secede. 

Many criticisms were offered in the various ratifying ordi- 
nances, many amendments suggested, but the acceptance of 
the Constitution, the submission to the perpetual law, was in 
all cases absolute. The language of Yirginia was most 
explicit on this point. "The powers granted under the 
Constitution, being derived from the people of the United 
States, may be resumed by them whenever the same shall be 
perverted to their injury or oppression." That the people of 
the United States, expressing their will solemnly in national 
convention, are competent to undo the work of their ancestors, 
and are fully justified in so doing when the Constitution shall 
be perverted to their injury and oppression, there is no man in 
the land that doubts. This course has been already indicated 
as the only peaceful revolution possible ; but such a proceed- 
ing is very different from the secession ordinance of a single 
State resuming its sovereignty of its own free M^ill, and without 
consultation with the rest of the inhabitants of the country. 

" There was no reservation (says Justice Story) of any 



APPEXDIX. 491 

right ou the part of any State to dissolve its conncctiou, or to 
abrogate its dissent, or to suspend the operation of the Con- 
stitution as to itself." 

And thus, when the ratifications had been made, a now 
commonwealth took its place among the nations of the earth. 
The effects of the new Constitution were almost magical. 
Order sprang out of chaos. Law resumed its reign ; del)ts 
were collected; life and property became secure ; 'the national 
debt was funded and ultimately paid, principal and interest, 
to the uttermost farthing ; the articles of the treaty of peace 
in 1783 were fulfilled, and Great Britain, having an organized 
and united State to deal with, entered into a treaty of com- 
merce and amity with us — the first and the best ever negoti- 
ated between the two nations. Not the least noble of its 
articles (the 21st) provided that the acceptance by the citizens 
or subjects of either country of foreign letters of marque should 
be treated and punished as piracy. Unfortunately, that 
article and several others were limited to twelve years, and 
were not subsequently renewed. The debts due to British 
subjects were collected, and the British Government at last 
surrendered the forts on our soil. 

At last we were a nation, with a flag respected abroad and 
almost idolized at home as the symbol of union and coming 
greatness ; and we entered upon a career of prosperity ami 
progress never surpassed in history. The autonomy of each 
State, according to which its domestic and interior all'airs are 
subject to the domestic legislature and executive, was secured 
by the reservation to each State of powers not cxpres.>ly 
granted to the Union by the Constitution. Supreme wiihiu 
its own orbit, which is traced from the same centre of poi)uhir 
power whence the wider circumference of the General Govern- 
ment is described, the individual State is surrounded on all 
sides by that all-embracing circle. The reserved and unnamed 
powers are many and important, but the State is closely cir- 
cumscribed. Thus, a State is forbidden to alter its form of 
government. " Thou shalt forever remain a republic," says 



492 APPENDIX. 

the United States Constitution to each individual State. A 
State is forbidden, above all, to pass any law conflicting with 
the United States Constitution or laws. Moreover, every 
member of Congress, every member of a State legislature, every 
executive or judicial officer in the service of the Union or of a 
separate State, is bound by solemn oath to maintain the 
United States Constitution. This alone would seem to settle 
the question of secession ordinances. So long as the Consti- 
tution endures, such an ordinance is merely the act of con- 
spiring and combining individuals, with whom the General 
Government may deal. AVhen it falls in the struggle, and 
becomes powerless to cope with them, the Constitution has 
been destroyed by violence. Peaceful acquiescence in such 
combinations is perjury and treason on the pai't of the chief 
magistrate of the country, for which he may be impeached and 
executed. Yet men speak of Mr. Lincoln as having plunged 
into wicked war. They censure him for not negotiating with 
envoys who came, not to settle grievances, but to demand 
recognition of the dismemberment of the Republic which he 
has just sworn to maintain. 

It is true that the ordinary daily and petty affairs of men 
come more immediately than larger matters under the cogni- 
zance of the State governments, tending thus to foster local 
patriotism and local allegiance. At the same time, as all 
controversies between citizens of diflfereut States come within 
the sphere of the Federal courts, and as the manifold and 
conflicting currents of so rapid a national life as the American 
can rarely be confined within narrow geographical boundaries, 
it follows that the Federal courts, even for domestic purposes 
as well as foreign, are parts of the daily, visible functions of 
the body politic. The Union is omnipresent. The custom- 
house, the court-house, the arsenal, the village post-office, the 
muskets of the militia make the authority of the General 
Government a constant fact. Moreover,. the restless, migra- 
tory character of the population, which rarely permits all the 
members of one family to remain denizens of any one State, 



J 



APPENDIX, 



493 



lias iuterlaced the States with each other and all with the 
Union to such an extent that a painless excision of a portion 
of the whole nation is an impossibility. To cut away the 
pound of flesh and draw no drop of blood surpasses human 
ingenuity. 

Neither the opponents nor friends of the new Government 
in the first generation after its establishment held the doctrine 
of secession. The States' right party and the Federal party 
disliked or cherished the Government because of the general 
conviction that it was a constituted and centralized authority, 
permanent and indivisible, like that of any other organized 
nation. Each party continued to favor or to oppose a strict 
construction of the instrument ; but the doctrine of nullification 
and secession was a plant of later growth. It was an accepted 
fact that the United States was not a confederacy. That 
word was never used in the Constitution except once by icay 
of prohibition. We were a nation, not a copartnership, 
except indeed in the larger sense in which every nation may 
be considered a copartnership — a copartnership of the present 
with the past and with the future. To borrow the lofty 
language of Burke : 

"A State ought not to be considered as nothing better than 
a partnersliip agreement in a trade of pepper and coffee, 
calico or tobacco, or some other such low concern, to be 
taken up for a little temporary interest, and to be dissolved by 
the fancy of the parties. It is to be looked upon with otiior 
reverence, because it is not a partnership in things subservient 
only to gross animal existence, of a temporary and perishable 
nature. It is a partnership in all science, a partner.ship in all 
art, a partnership in every virtue and in all perfection, a 
partnership not only between those who are living, but between 
those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are 
to be born." 

And the simple phrase of the preamble to our Constitu- 
tion -is almost as pregnant :—" To secure the blessings of 
liberty to us and onv posterity."' 



494 APPENDIX. 

But as the innumerable woes of disunion out of which we 
had been rescued by the Constitution began to fade into the 
past, the allegiance to the Union, in certain regions of the 
country, seemed rapidly to diminish. It was reserved to the 
subtle genius of Mr. Calhoun, one of the most logical, brilliant, 
and persuasive orators that ever lived, to embody once more, 
in a set of sounding sophisms, the main arguments which had 
been unsuccessfully used in a former generation to prevent 
the adoption of the Constitution, and to exhibit them now as 
legitimate deductions from the Constitution. The memorable 
tariff controversy was the occasion in which the argument of 
State sovereignty was put forth in all its strength. In regard 
to the dispute itself there can be no doubt that the South was 
in the right and the North in the wrong. The production by 
an exaggerated tariff of a revenue so much over and above 
the wants of Government, that it was at last divided among 
the separate States, and foolishly squandered, was the most 
triumphant reductio ad absurdiim that the South could have 
desired. But it is none the less true that the nullification by 
a State legislature of a Federal law was a greater injury to 
the whole nation than a foolish tariff, long since repealed, had 
inflicted. It was a stab to the Union in its vital part The 
blow was partially parried, but it may be doubted whether the 
wound has ever healed. 

Tariffs, the protective system, free trade, — although the 
merits of these questions must be considered as settled by 
sound thinkers in all civilized lands, must nevertheless still 
remain in some countries the subjects of honest argument and 
legitimate controv.ersy. When all parts of a country are 
represented — and especially in the case of the United States, 
where the Southern portion has three-fifths of a certain kind 
of " property" represented, while the Xorth has no property 
represented — reason should contend with error for victory, 
trusting to its innate strength. And until after the secession 
of the Gulf States the moderate tariff of 1857 was in opera- 
tion, with no probability of its repeal. Moreover, tlie advo- 



APPENDIX. 495 

cates of the enlightened system of free trade should reflect 
that should the fourteen Slave States become permanently 
united in a separate confederacy, the state of their internal 
aflTairs will soon show a remarkable revolution. The absence 
of the Fugitive law will necessarily drive all the slaves from 
what are called the border States ; and he must be a shallow 
politician who dreams here in England that free trade with 
all the world, and direct taxation for revenue, will be the 
policy of the new and expensive military empire which will 
arise. Manufactures of coiton and woolen will spring up on 
every river and mountain stream in the Northern Slave States, 
the vast mineral wealth of their territories will require 
development, and the cry for protection to native industry in 
one quarter will be as surely heeded as will be that other cry 
from the Gulf of Mexico, now partially suppressed for obvious 
reasons, for the African slave trade. To establish a great 
Gulf empire, including ^Mexico, Central America, Cuba, and 
other islands, with unlimited cotton fields and unlimited 
negroes, this is the golden vision in pursuit of which the great 
Repul)lic has been sacrificed, the beneficent Constitution 
subverted. And already the vision has fled, but the work of 
destruction remains. 

Tlie mischief caused by a tariff, however selfish or however 
absurd, may be temporary. In the last nineteen years tliere 
have Ijeen four separate tariffs passed by the American 
Congress, and nothing is more probable than that the suicidal 
Morrill tarifl" will receive essential modifications even in the 
special session of July ; but the woes caused by secession and 
civil war are infinite : and whatever be the result of the 
contest, this generation is not likely to forget the injuries 
already inflicted. 

The great Secession, therefore, of ISOO-Cl, is a rebellion, 
like any other insurrection, against established authority, and 
has been followed by civil war, as its immediate and inevita])le 
consequence. If successful it is revolution ; and whether 
successful or not, it will be judged before the tribunal of man- 



496 APPENDIX. 

kind and posterity according to the eternal laws of reason and 
justice. 

Time and history will decide whether it was a good and 
sagacious deed to destroy a frabric of so long duration, 
because of the election of Mr. Lincoln ; whether it were wise 
and noble to substitute over a large portion of the American 
soil a Confederacy of which slavery, in the words of its Vice- 
President, is the corner-stone, for the old Republic, of which 
Washington, with his own hand, laid the corner-stone. 

It is conceded by the North tliat it has received from the 
Union innumerable blessings. But it would seem that the 
Union has also conferred benefit on the South. It has carried 
its mails at a large expense. It has recaptured its fugitive 
slaves. It has purchased vast tracts of foreign territory, out 
of which a whole tier of slave States has been constructed. 
It has annexed Texas. It has made war with Mexico. It 
has made an offer — not likely to be repeated, however — to 
purchase Cuba, with its multitude of slaves, at a price accord- 
ing to report as large as the sum paid by England for the 
emancipation of her slaves. Individuals in the free States 
have expressed themselves fi-eely on slavery, as upon every 
topic of human thought, and this must ever be the case where 
there is freedom of the press and of speech. The number of 
professed abolitionists has hitherto been very small, while the 
great body of the two principal political parties in the free 
States have been strongly opposed to them. The Republican 
party was determined to set bounds to the extension of slavery, 
while the Democratic party favored that system, but neither 
had designs secret or avowed against slavery within the 
States. They knew that the question could only be legally 
and rationally dealt with by the States themselves. But both 
the parties, as present events are so signally demonstrating, 
were imbued with a passionate attachment to the Constitu- 
tion — to the established authority of Government by which 
alone our laws and our liberty are secured. All parties in 
the free States are now united as one man inspired by a noble 



APPENDIX. 497 

and generous emotion to vindicate the sullied honor of their 
flag, and to save their country from the abyss of perdition into 
which it seemed descending. 

Of the ultimate result we have no intention of speaking. 
Only the presumptuous will venture to lift the vail and affect 
to read with accuracy coming events, the most momentous 
perhaps of our times. One result is, however, secured. The 
Montgomery Constitution, with slavery for its corner-stone, is 
not likely to be accepted, as but lately seemed possible, not 
only by all the slave States, but even by the border free 
States; nor to be proclaimed from Washington as the new 
national law, in the name of the United States. Compromises 
will no longer be offered by peace conventions, in which 
slavery is to be made national, negroes declared property over 
all the land, and slavery extended over all Territories now 
possessed or hereafter to be acquired. Nor is the United 
States Government yet driven from Washington. 

Events are rapidly unrolling themselves, and it will lie 
proved, in course of time, whether the North will remain 
united in its inflexible purpose, whether the South is as firmly 
united, or whether a counter revolution will be effected in 
either section, which must necessarily give the victory to its 
opponents. We know nothing of the schemes or plans of 
either Government. 

The original design of the Republican party was to put an 
end to the perpetual policy of slavery extension, and acquisi- 
tion of foreign territory for that purpose, and at the same 
time to maintain the Constitution and the integrity of the 
Republic. This at the South seemed an outrage which justi- 
fied civil war ; for events have amply proved what sagacious 
statesmen prophesied thirty years ago— that secession is civil 

war. 

If all is to end in negotiation and separation, notwith- 
standing the almost interminable disputes concerning frontiers, 
the strongholds in the Gulf, and the unshackled navigation 
of the great rivers throughout their whole length, wliicfli, it i& 
32 



498 APPENDIX. 

probable, will never be abandoned by the North, except as the 
result of total defeat in the field, it is at any rate certain that 
both parties will negotiate more equitably with arms in their 
hands than if the unarmed of either section were to deal with 
the armed. If it comes to permanent separation, too, it is 
certain that in the Commonwealth which will still glory in the 
name of the United States, and whose people will doubtless 
re-establish the old Constitution, with some important amend- 
ments, the word secession will be a sound of woe not to be 
lightly uttered. It will have been proved to designate, not a 
peaceful and natural function of political life, but to be only 
another expression for revolution, bloodshed, and all the 
horrors of civil war. 

It is probable that a long course of years will be run, and 
many inconveniences and grievances endured, before any one 
of the free States will secede from the reconstructed Union. 



IV. 

EXTRACTS FROM THE SPEECH OF ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS 
AGAINST SECESSION. 

Mr. Stephens entered the Hall at the hour of 1 p. m., and 
was greeted with long and rapturous applause. He then rose 
and said : 

Fellow-Citizens : I appear before you to-night at the 
request of members of the Legislature and others, to speak of 
matters of the deepest interest that can possibly concern us 
all, of an earthly character. There is nothing — no question 
or subject connected with this life — that concerns a free 
people so intimately as that of the Government under which 
they live. We are now, indeed, surrounded by evils. Never 
since I entered upon the public stage has the country been so 
environed with difficulties and dangers that threatened the 



APPENDIX. 499 

public peace and the very existence of society as now. I do 
not now appear before you at my own instance. It is not to 
gratify desires of my own that I ara here. Had I consulted 
my own ease and pleasure I should not be before you ; but, 
believing it is the duty of every good citizen to give his coun- 
sels and views whenever the country is in danger, as to the 
best policy to be pursued, I am here. For these reasons, and 
these only, do I bespeak a calm, patient, and attentive hearing. 

My object is not to stir up strife, but to allay it ; not to 
appeal to your passions, but to your reason. Good govern- 
ments can never be built up or sustained by the impulse of 
passion. I wish to address myself to your good sense, to your 
good judgment, and if after hearing you disagree, let us agree 
to disagree, and part as we met, friends. We all have the 
same object, the same interest. That people should disagree 
in republican governments, upon questions of public policy, is 
natural. That men should disagree upon all matters con- 
nected with human investigation, whether relating to science 
or human conduct, is natural. Hence, in free governments 
parties will arise. But a free people should express their 
different opinions with liberality and charity, with no acrimony 
toward those of their fellows, when honestly and sincerely 
given. These are my feelings to-night. 

Let us, therefore, reason together. It is not my purpose to 
say aught to wound the feelings of any individual who may 
be present ; and if in the ardency with which I shall express 
my opinions, I shall say any thing which' may be deemed too 
strong, let it be set down to the zeal with which I advocate 
my own convictions. There is with me no intention to irritate 
or offend. 

The first question that presents itself is, shall the people 
of the South secede from the Union in consequence of the 
election of Mr. Lincoln to the presidency of the United 
States ? My countrymen, I tell you frankly, candidly, and 
earnestly, that I do not think that they ought. In my judg- 
ment, the election of no man, constitutionally chosen to that 



1 



500 APPENDIX. 

high office, is sufficient cause for any State to separate from 
the Union. It ought to stand by and aid still in maintaining 
the Constitution of the country. To make a point of resist- 
ance to the Government, to withdraw from it because a man 
has been constitutionally elected, puts us in the wrong. We 
are pledged to maintain the Constitution. Many of us have 
sworn to support it. Can we, therefore, for the mere election 
of a man to the Presidency, and that too in accordance with 
the proscribed forms of the Constitution, make a point of 
resistance to the Government without becoming the breakers 
of that sacred instrument ourselves, withdraw ourselves from 
it ? Would we not be in the wrong ? Whatever fate is to 
befall this country, let it never be laid to the charge of the 
people of the South, and especially to the people of Georgia, 
that we were untrue to our national engagements. , Let the 
fault and the wrong rest upon others. If all our hopes are to 
be blasted, if the Republic is to go down, let us be found to 
the last moment standing on the deck, with the Constitution 
of the United States waving over our heads. (Applause.) 
Let the fanatics of the North break the Constitution, if such 
is their fell purpose. Let the responsibility be upon them 
I shall speak presently more of their acts ; but let not the 
South, let us not be the ones to commit the aggression. Wc 
went into the election of this people. The result was different 
from what we wished; but the election has been constitution- 
ally held. Were we to make a point of resistance to the 
Government and go out of the Union on that account, the 
record would be made up hereafter against us. 

But it is said Mr. Lincoln's policy and principles are 
against the Constitution, and that if he carries them out it 
will be destructive of our rights. Let us not anticipate a 
threatened evil. If he violates tlie Constitution then will 
come our time to act. Do not let us break it because, 
forsooth, he may. If he does, that is the time for us to strike. 
(Applause.) I think it would be injudicious and unwise to 
do this sooner. 1 do not anticipate that Mr. Lincoln will do 



AITENDIX. 501 

any tiling to jeopard our safety or security, wliatcvcr may be 
his spirit to do it ; for he is bound by tlie constitutional cheeks 
which are thrown around him, which at tliis time render him 
powerless to do any great mischief. This shows the wisdom 
of our system. The President of the United States is no 
emperor, no dictator — ho is clothed with no absolute power. 
lie can do notiiing unless he is backed by power in Congress. 
Tlie House of Representatives is largely in the majority 
against him. » 

In the Senate he will also be powerless. There will be a 
majority of four against him. Tliis, after the loss of Bigler, 
Fitch, and others, by the unfortunate dissensions of the 
National Democratic party in their States. Mr. Lincoln 
cannot appoint an officer without the consent of the Senate — 
he cannot form a cabinet without the same consent. He will 
be in the condition of George III., (the embodiment of 
Toryism,) who had to ask the Whigs to appoint his ministers, 
and was compelled to receive a cabinet utterly opposed to his 
views ; and so Mr, Lincoln will be compelled to ask of the 
Senate to choose for him a cabinet, if the Democracy of that 
body choose to put him on such terms. He will be compelled 
to do this or let the Government stop, if the National Demo- 
cratic men — for that is their name at the North — the con- 
servative men in the Senate, should so determine. Then, how 
can Mr. Lincoln obtain a ca])inet whicli would aid him, or 
allow him to violate the Constitution ? 

Why then, I say, should we disrupt ftie ties of this Union 
when his hands arc tied, when he can do nothing against us ? 
I have heard it mooted that no man in the State of Georgia, 
who is true to her interests, could hold office under Mr. 
Lincoln, But, I ask, who appoints to office ? Not the 
President alone ; the Senate has to concur. No man can be 
appointed without the consent of the Senate. Should any 
man then refuse to hold office that was given to him l)y a 
Democratic Senate ? [Mr. Toombs interrupted and said if 
the Senate was democratic it was for Mr. lireckinridgc.] 



602 APPENDIX. 

Well, then, continued Mr. S., I apprehend no man could be 
justly considered untrue to the interests of Georgia, or incur 
any disgrace, if the interests of Georgia required it, to hold an 
office which a Breckinridge Senate had given him, even though 
Mr. Lincoln should be President. (Prolonged applause, 
mingled with interruptions.) 

I trust, my countrymen, you will be still and silent. I ara 
addressing your good sense. I am giving you my views in a 
calm and dispassionate manner, and if any of you differ with 
me, you can, on any other occasion, give your views as I am 
doing now, and let reason and true patriotism decide between 
us. In my judgment, I say under such circumstances, there 
w^ould be no possible disgrace for a Southern man to hold 
office. No m'an will be suffered to be appointed, I have no 
doubt, who is not true to the Constitution, if Southern 
Senators are true to their trusts, as I cannot permit myself to 
doubt that they will be. 

My honorable friend who addressed you last night, (Mr.. 
Toombs,) and to whom I listened with the profoundest atten- 
tion, asks if we would submit to Black Republican rule ? I 
say to you and to him, as a Georgian, I never would submit 
to any Black Republican aggression upon our constitutional 
rights. I will never consent myself, as much as I admire this 
Union for the glories of the past, or the blessings of the 
present, as much as it has done for the people of all these 
States, as much as it has done for civilization, as much as the 
hopes of the world hang upon it, I would never submit to 
aggression upon my rights to maintain it longer ; and if they 
cannot be maintained in the Union, standing on the Georgia 
platform, whei'e I have stood from the' time of its adoption, I 
would be in favor of disrupting every tie which binds the 
States together. 

I will have equality for Georgia and for the citizens of 
Georgia in this Union, or I will look for new safeguards else- 
where. This is my position. The only question now is, cnn 
they be secured in the Union ? That is what I am counselling 



APPENDIX. 503 

with you to-night about. Can it be secured ? In my judg- 
ment it may be, but it may not be ; but let us do all we can, 
so that in the future, if the worst come, it may never be said 
we were negligent in doing our duty to the last. 

My countrymen, I am not of those who believe this Union 
luis been a curse up to this time. True men, men of integrity, 
entertain different views from me on this subject. I do not 
question their riglit to do so ; I would nut impugn their 
motives in so doing. Nor will I undertake to say that this 
Government of our fathers is perfect. There is nothing 
perfect in this world of a human origin. Nothing connected 
with human nature, from man himself to any of his works. 
You may select the wisest and best men for your judges, and 
yet how many defects are there iu the administration of 
justice ? You may select the wisest and best men for your 
legislators, and yet how many defects are apparent in your 
laws ? And it is so in our Government. 

But that this Government of our fathers, with all its defects, 
comes nearer the objects of all good Governments than any 
other on the face of the earth is my settled conviction. 
Contrast it now with any on the face of the earth. [England, 
said Mr. Toombs.] — England, my friend says. Well, tliat is 
the next best, I grant ; but I think we have improved upon 
England. Statesmen tried their apprentice hands on the 
Government of England, and then ours was made. Ours 
sprung from that, avoiding many of its defects, taking most 
of the good and leaving out many of i^ errors, and from the 
whole constructing and building up of this model Republic — 
the best which the history of the world gives any account of. 

Compare, my friends, this Government with that of Spain, 
Mexico, the South American Republics, Germany, Ireland— 
are there any sons of that down-trodden nation here to- 
night?— Prussia, or if you travel further East, to Turkey or 
China. Where will you go, following the sun in its circuit 
round our globe, to find a GovernmeM that better protects tlie 
liberties of its people, and secures to tlicm the blessings we 



504 APPENDIX. 

enjoy ? (Applause.) I think that one of the evils that beset 
us is a surfeit of liberty, an exuberance of the priceless bless- 
ings for which we are ungrateful. We listened to my honora- 
ble friend who addressed you last night, (Mr. Toombs,) as he 
recounted the evils of this Government. 

The first was the fishing bounties, paid mostly to the sailors 
of Xew England. Our friend stated that forty-eight years of 
our Government was under the administration of Southern 
Presidents. Well, these fishing bounties began under the 
rule of a Southern President, I believe. No one of them 
during the whole forty-eight years ever set his Administration 
against the principle or policy of them It is not for me to say 
whether it was a wise policy in the beginning ; it probably 
was not, and I have nothing to say in its defence. But ths 
reason given for it was to encourage our young men to go to 
sea and learn to manage ships. We had at the time but a 
small navy. It was thought best to encourage a class of our 
people to become acquainted with seafaring life ; to become 
sailors ; to man our naval ships. It requires practice to walk 
the deck of a ship, to pull the ropes, to furl the sails, to go 
aloft, to climb the mast ; and it was thought, by offering this 
bounty, a nursery might be formed in which young men would 
become perfected in these arts, and it applied to one section 
of the country as well as to any other. 

The result of this was, that in the war of 1812 our sailors, 
many of whom came from this nursery, were equal to any that 
England brought against us. At any rate, no small part of 
the glories of that war were gained by the veteran tars of 
America, and the object of these bounties was to foster that 
branch of our national defence. My opinion is, that whatever 
may have been the reason at first, this bounty ought to be 
discontinued — the reason for it at first no longer exists. A 
bill for this object did pass the Senate the last Congress I was 
in, to which my honorable friend contributed greatly, but it 
was not reached in the House of Representatives. I trust 
that he may yet see that he may with honor continue his 



APPENDIX. 505 

connection with the Government, and that his eloquence, un- 
rivalled in the Senate, may hereafter, as heretofore, be dis- 
played in having tliis bounty, so obnoxious to him, repealed 
and wiped off from the statute-book. 

The next evil that my friend complained of was the Tariff. 
Well, let us look at that for a moment. About the time I 
commenced noticing public matters, this question was agita- 
ting the country almost as fearfully as the slave question now 
is. In 1832, when I was in college, South Carolina was 
ready to nullify or secede from the Union ou this account. 
And what have we seen ? The Tariff no longer distracts the 
public councils. Reason has triumphed 1 The present Tariff 
was voted for by Massachusetts and South Carolina. The 
lion and the lamb lay down together — every man in the Senate 
and House from Massachusetts and South Carolina, I think, 
voted for it, as did my honorable friend himself. And if it be 
true, to use the figure of speech of my honorable friend, that 
every man in the North that works in iron and brass and 
wood has his muscle strengthened by the protection of the 
Government, that stimulant was given by his vote, and I 
believe every other Southern man. So we ought not to 
complain of that. 

Mr. Toombs — Tlie tariff assessed the duties. 

Mr. Stephens — Yes, and Massachusetts with unanimity 
voted with the South to lessen them, and they were made just 
as low as Southern men asked them to be, and that is the 
rates they are now at. If reason and argument, with experi- 
ence, produced such changes in the sentiments of Massachu- 
setts from 1832 to 185'r, on the subject of the tariff, may not 
like changes be effected there by the same means — reason and 
argument, and appeals to patriotism on the present vexed 
question; and who can say that by 1875 or 1890 Massadiu- 
setts may not vote with South Carolina and Georgia upon all 
those questions that now distract the country, and threaten 
its peace and existence, I believe in the power and cfficioucy 



506 ArPEXDix. 

of truth, ill the omnipotence of truth, and its ultimate triumph 
when properly wielded. (Applause.) 

Another matter of grievance alluded to by my honorable 
friend was the navigation laws. This policy was also com- 
menced under the Administration of one of these Southern 
Presidents who ruled so well, and has heeu continued through 
all of them since. The gentleman's views of the policy of 
these laws and my own do not disagree. We occupied the 
same ground in relation to them in Congress. It is not my 
purpose to defend them now. But it is proper to state some 
matters connected with their origin. 

One of the objects was to build up a commercial American 
marine by giving American bottoms the exclusive carrying 
trade between our own ports. This is a great arm of national 
power. This object was accomplished. We have now an 
amount of shipping, not only coastwise, but to foreign coun- 
tries, which puts us in the front rank of the nations of the 
world. England can no longer be styled the Mistress of the 
Seas. What American is not proud of the result ? Whether 
those laws should be continued is another question. But one 
thing is certain : no President, Northern or Southern, has 
ever yet recommended their appeal. And my friend's efforts 
to get them repealed were met with but little favor, North or 
South. 

These, then, were the two main grievances or grounds of 
complaint against the general system of our Government and 
its workings — I mean the administration of the Federal 
Government. As to the acts of the Federal States, I sliall 
speak presently, but these three were the main ones used 
against the common head. Now, suppose it be admitted tliat 
all of these are evils in the system ; do they overbalance and 
outweigh the advantages and great good which this same 
Government affords in a thousand innumerable ways that 
cannot be estimated ? Have we not at the South, as well as 
the North, grown great, prosperous, and happy under its 
operation ? Has any part of the world ever shown such rapid 



APPENDIX. 507 

progress iu the development of wealtli, and all the material 
resources of national power and greatness, as the Southern 
Slates have under the General Government, notwithstanding 
all its defects ? 

Mr. Toombs — In spite of it. 

Mr. Stephens — My honorable friend says we have, in spite 
of the General Government ; that without it I suppose he 
thinks we might have done as well, or perhaps better, than we 
have done ; this is in spite of it. That may be, and it may not 
be ; bat the great fact that we have grown great and powerful 
under the Government as it exists, there is no conjecture or 
speculation about that ; it stands out bold, high, and prominent 
like your Stone Mountain, to which the gentleman alluded in 
illustrating home facts iu his record — this great fact of our 
unrivalled prosperity in the Union as it is, is admitted ; whether 
all this is in spite of the Government — whether we of the 
South would have been better off without the Government — 
is, to say the least, problematical. On the one side we can 
only put the fact against speculation and conjecture on the 
other. But even as a question of speculation I differ with my 
distinguished friend. 

What we would have lost in border wars without the Union, 
or what we have gained simply by the peace it has secured, 
no estimate can be made of. Our foreign trade, which is the 
foundation of all our prosperity, has the protection of the 
navy, which drove the pirates from the waters near our coast, 
where they had been buccaneering for centuries before, and 
might have been still, had it not been for the American Navy 
under the command of such spirits as Commodore Porter. 
Now that the coast is clear, that our commerce flows freely 
outwardly, we cannot well estimate how it would have Imch 
under other circumstances. The influence of the Government 
on us is like that of the atmosphere around us. Its benefits 
are so silent and unseen that they arc seldom thought of or 
appreciated. 

We seldom think of the single element, of oxygen in the air 



508 APPENMX. 

we breathe, and yet let this simple, unseen, and unfelt agent 
be withdrawn, this life-giving element be taken away from this 
all-pervading fluid around us, and what instant and appalling 
changes would take place in all organic creation. 

It may be that we are all that we are in "spite of the 
General Government," but it may be that without it we should 
have been far different from what we are now. It is true 
there is no equal part of the earth with natural resources 
superior perhaps to ours. That portion of this country known 
as tlie Southern States, stretching from the Chesapeake to the 
Rio Grande, is fully equal to the picture drawn by the honora- 
ble and eloquent Senator last night, in all natural capacities. 
But how many ages and centuries passed before these capaci- 
ties were developed to reach this advanced age of civilization ? 
Tliere these same hills, rich in ore, same rivers, same valleys 
and plains, are as they have been since they came from the 
hand of the Creator; uneducated and uncivilized man roamed 
over them for how long no history informs us. 

It was only under our institutions that they could be 
developed. Their development is the result of the enterprise 
of our people under operations of the Government and institu- 
tions under which we have lived. Even our people without 
these never would have done it. The organization of society 
has much to do with the development of the natural resources 
of any country or any land. The institutions of a people, 
])olitical and moral, are the matrix in which the germ of their 
organic structure quickens into life — takes root and develops 
its form, nature, and character. Our institutions constitute the 
basis, the matrix, from which spring all our characteristics of 
develoj)ment and greatness. Look at Greece. There is the 
same fertile soil, the same blue sky, the same inlets and 
harbors, the same ^gean, the same Olympus ; there is the 
same land where Homer sung, where Pericles spoke ; it is in 
nature the same old Greece — but it is living Greece no more. 
(Applause.) 

Descendants of the same people inhabit the country; T(t 



APPENDIX. ■ 509 

what is the reason of this mighty difference ? In the midst 
of present degradation we see the glorious fragments o' 
ancient works of art— temples with ornaments and inscriptions 
that excite wonder and admiration— the remains of a once 
high order of civilization which have outlived the language 
they spoke— upon them all Ichabod is written— their glory 
has departed. Why is this so ? I answer, their institutions 
have been destroyed. These were but the fruits of their forms 
of government, the matrix from which their grand develop- 
ment sprung, and when once the institutions of a people have 
been destroyed, there is no earthly power that can bring back 
the Promethean spark to kindle them here again, any more 
than in that ancient land of eloquence, poetry, and song. 
(Applause.) 

The same may be said of Italy. AVhere is Rome, once the 
mistress of the world ? Tliere ah the same seven hills now, 
the same soil, the same natural resources ; nature is the same, 
but what a ruin of human greatness meets the eye of the 
traveler throughout the length and breadth of that most down- 
trodden land 1 Why have not the people of that heaven- 
favored clime the spirit that animated their fathers ? Why 
this sad difference ? 

It is the destruction of her institutions that has caused it ; 
and, my countrymen, if we shall in an evil hour rashly pull 
down and destroy those institutions which the patriotic hand 
of our fathers labored so long and so hard to build up, and 
which have done so much for us and the world, who can 
venture the prediction that similar results will not ensue ? 
Let us avoid it if we can. I trust the spirit is amongst us 
that will enable us to do it. Let us not rashly try the experi- 
ment, lor if it fails as it did in Greece and Italy, and in the 
South American Republics, and in every other place, wherever 
liberty is once destroyed, it may never be restored to us again. 
(Applause.) 

There are defects in our Government, errors in administra , 
tion, and shortcomings of many kinds, but in sjjite of these 



610 APPENDIX. 

defects and errors, Georgia has grown to be a great State. 
Let us pause here a moment. In 1850 there was a great 
crisis, but not so fearful as this, for of all I have ever passed 
through, this is the most perilous, and requires to be met with 
the greatest calmness and deliberation. 

There were many amongst us in 1850 zealous to go at once 
out of the Union, to disrupt every tie that binds us together. 
Now do you believe, had that policy been carried out at that 
time, we would have been the same great people that we are 
to-day ? It may be that we would, but have you any as- 
surance of that fact ? Would you have made the same ad- 
vancement, improvement, and progress in all that constitutes 
material wealth and prosperity that you have ? 

I notice in the Comptroller-General's report, that the taxa- 
ble property of Georgia is $010,000,000 and upwards, an 
amount not far from double what it was in 1850. I think I 
may venture to say that for the last ten years the material 
wealth of the people of Georgia has been nearly if not quite 
doubled. The same may be said of our advance in education, 
and every thing that marks our civilization. Have we any 
assurance that had we regarded the earnest but misguided 
patriotic advice, as I think, of some of that day, and disrupted 
the ties which bind us to the Union, we would have advanced 
as we have ? I think not. Well, then, let us be careful now 
before we attemjjt any rash experiment of this sort. I know 
that there are friends whose patriotism I do not intend to 
question, who think this Union a curse, and that we would be 
better off without it. I do not so think ; if we can bring about 
a correction of these evils which threaten — and I am not with- 
out hope that this may yet be done — this appeal to go out, 
with all the provisions for good that accompany it, I look 
upon as a great and I fear a fatal temptation. 

When I look around and see our prosperity in every thing, 
agriculture, commerce, art, science, and every department of 
education, physical and mental, as well as moral advancement, 
and our colleges, I think, in the face of such an exhibition, if 



APPENDIX. 



611 



we can without the loss of power, or any essential right or 
interest, remain in the Union, it is our duty to ourselves and 
to posterity to — let us not too readily yield to this tempta- 
tion — do so. Our first parents, the great progenitors of the 
human race, were not without a like temptation when in the 
garden of Eden. They were led to believe that their condition 
would be bettered — that their eyes would be opened — and 
that they would become as gods. They in an evil hour 
yielded — instead of becoming gods they only saw their own 
nakedness. 

I look upon this country with our institutions as thg Eden 
of the world, the paradise of the universe. It may be that out 
of it we may become greater and more prosperous, but I am 
candid and sincere in telling you that I fear if we rashly 
evince passion and without sufficient cause shall take that step, 
that instead of becoming greater or more peaceful, prosperous, 
and happy — instead of becoming gods, we will become 
demons, and at no distant day commence cutting one another's 
throats. This is my apprehension. Let us, therefore, what- 
ever we do, meet these difficulties, great as they are, like wise 
and sensible men, and consider them in the light of all the 
consequences which may attend our action. Let us see first 
clearly where the path of duty leads, and then we may not 
fear to tread therein. 

I come now to the main question put to me, and on which 
ray counsel has been asked. That is, what tha present Legis- 
lature should do in view of the dangers that threaten us, and 
the wrongs that have been done us by several of our Con- 
federate States in the JJnion, by the acts of their legislatures 
nullifying the fugitive slave law, and in direct disregard of 
their constitutional obligations. What I shall say will not be 
in the spirit of dictation. It will be simply my own judgment 
for what it is worth. It proceeds from a strong conviction 
that according to it our rights, interests, and honor — our 
present safety and future security can be maintained without 
yet looking to the last resort, the "ultima ratio rcgum." 



t* 



512 , APPENDIX. 

That should not be looked to until all else fails. That may 
come. On this point I am hopeful, but not sanguine. Lut 
let us use every patriotic effort to prevent it while there is 
ground for hope. 

If any view that I may present, in your judgment, be in- 
consistent with the best interests of Georgia, I ask you, as 
patriots, not to regard it. After hearing me and others 
whom you have advised with, act in the premises according to 
your own conviction of duty as patriots. I speak now 
particularly to the members of the Legislature present. There 
are, as I have said, great dangers ahead. Great dangers 
may come from the election I have spoken of. If the 
policy of Mr. Lincoln and his Republican associates shall 
be carried out, or attempted to be carried out, no man 
in Georgia will be more willing or ready than myself to defend 
our rights, interest, and honor at every hazard, and to the 
last extremity. (Applause.) 

What is this policy ? It is in the first place to exclude us 
by an act of Congress from the Territories with our slave 
property. He is for using the power of the General Govern- 
ment against the extensions of our institutions. Our position 
on this point is and ought to be, at all hazards, for perfect 
equality between all the States, and the citizens of all the 
States, in the Territories, under the Constitution of the United 
States. If Congress should exercise its power against this, 
then 1 am for standing where Georgia planted herself in 1S50. 
These were plain propositions which were then laid down in 
her celebrated platform as sufficient for the disruption of the 
Union if the occasion should ever come ; on these Georgia has 
declared that she will go out of the Union ; and for these she 
would be justified by the nations of the earth in so doing. 



I 






